
&^ 



•*^ 



S LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



^UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. | 



\^ 



THE KINGDOM 



SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED, ETC. 



THE KINGDOM 



WHICH 



SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED, 



ETC. 



AN EXPOSITION OF PROPHECY, 



MORE ESPECIALLY OF DANIEL, Chap. VII. 



BY 



Eev. J. OSWALD, A.M., 



yOEK, PA. 




PHILADELPHIA: 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT AND CO. 

1856. 



J)^ 



£=A'\ 



,&^ 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by 
J . OSWALD, 

in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States in 
and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



PREFACE. 



Having frequently been solicited to publish my 
views ou the subject treated of in the following 
pages, I hereby comply with said solicitation ; not, 
however, without considerable hesitation. , Why 
should I subject myself to the disquietudes of 
authorship? And yet, why should I not? These 
are questions of frequent recurrence. Let the issue 
decide them. 

The seventh chapter of the Book of Daniel may 
be regarded as the basis of this volume. For the 
purpose of combating that which I conceived to be 
error, or in support of my own opinions, there will 
be found in this book references to, and quotations 
from various books and authors, as e. ^., the Enc, of 
Religious Knowledge^ Clarke, Dwight, Hunter, Gum- 
ming, Olmstead, Hamilton, &c. 

Should this volume, which I now present to the 
public, be instrumental in directing the attention of 
some to the study of the prophecies now so much 



VI PREFACE. 

neglected, and to the Kingdom whicli is to come — 
whicli is the Christian's inheritance, and which will 
be set up, or established on Earth, renewed^ purified^ 
cojisecrated^ and thus edify the Church; and, above 
all, glorify the Master, all will be effected that is 
hoped for by the 

AUTHOE. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Introduction . . . . . . . . \ 13 

CHAPTER II. 

The First Prophetic Kingdom . . . . . . 28 

CHAPTER III. 
The Second Prophetic Kingdom . * ... 45 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Third Prophetic Kingdom — Its First Phase . . 68 

CHAPTER V. 

The Third Prophetic Kingdom — Its Second Phase . 68 

CHAPTER VI. 
The Fourth Kingdom .80 

CHAPTER VII. 

The Kingdom of the ** Little Horn" — its Persecution of 
THE Saints — the Duration of its Power — its End . 95 

CHAPTER VIII. 
PART I. 

The Kingdom which shall not be Destroyed, etc. — it 
succeeds the Destruction of Antichrist . . . 149 



VIU CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER Vin. 

PART II. 

PAGE 

The Kingdom which shall not be Destroyed, etc. — its 
Origin .......... 185 

CHAPTER Vlir. 

PART III. 
The Kingdom which shall not be destroyed, etc.— when 
set up, or established 197 

CHAPTER VIII. 

PART IV. 

The Kingdom which shall not be Destroyed, etc. — its 
locality 2C9 

CHAPTER VIII. 

PART V. 

The Kingdom which shall not be Destroyed, etc. — its 
King — its Subjects — Will the Jews be Restored? — 
Israel's Return — The Extent and Duration of this 
Kingdom . . .221 

CHAPTER VIII. 

PART VI. 

The KixXGdom which shall not be Destroyed, etc. — its 
Metropolis, or the New Jerusalem .... 249 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Conclusion — A Recapitulation — A Reminiscence of 
Dr. Schmucker, Sen., etc. etc 269 

APPENDIX. 295 



THE KINGDOM 



SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED. 



CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTION-. 



Inasmuch as the following pages are based to a 
great extent on the prophecies by Daniel, and espe- 
cially the 7th chapter, we may introduce our subject 
by saying that Daniel was a descendant of the kings of 
Judah, and is said to have been born at Upper Beth- 
oron, in the territory of Ephraim. He was carried 
away captive into Babylon, when he v/as about 
eighteen or twenty years of age, viz : in the fourth 
year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, A. M. 8398, B. 
C. 602, or 606, vulg. era. He was placed in the 
court of Nebuchadnezzar, and was afterwards raised 
to situations of high rank, and great power, first in 
the Babylonian, and then in the Persian empire. 
2 



14 INTRODUCTION. 

His reputation even in his lifetime was great. Jose- 
phus says, that God bestowed many favors on him, 
and that he was advanced to the rank of the most 
considerable prophets ; that he enjoyed the favor of 
princes and the affection of the people during his 
life, and that after his death his memory, became 
immortal. Furthermore, that, in the complexion of 
his predictions, he differs widely from all the other 
prophets; they foretold scarcely anything but disas- 
trous events ; on the contrary, he predicts the most 
joyous events, and fixes the times of accomplishment 
with more circumstantial precision than they did. 
And this is so true, that it has been remarked, that 
we cannot help thinking that God had given this 
eminent man a greater degree of light to fix the 
times when his predictions should issue, than he 
had given in general to all his predecessors, who 
simply declared the mind of God in relation to 
things future^ without attempting to indicate the dis- 
tance of time in which they should be fulfilled. Fi- 
nally, Daniel having enjoyed a large share of worldly 
prosperity (but, amidst the corruptions of a licen- 
tious and heathen court, preserved his integrity and 
virtue inviolate, no danger or temptation being able 
to divert him from the service and worship of the 
God of Israel), lived to the end of the captivity, but 
being very old, it is most probable did not return 
to the land of his nativity, but, as is generally be- 



INTRODUCTION. 15 

lieved, died at Susa, soon after liis last vision, whicL. 
is dated in the third year of the reign of Cyrus. 

The seventh chapter of Daniel embraces a period, 
certainly extending from the time of the prophet 
until now, and how much longer^ we may have occa- 
sion to show hereafter. The subjects here spoken 
of are also noticed elsewhere in the sacred Scrip- 
tures, as will be seen in the progress of our illustra- 
tions. This (7th) chapter, finally, was written in the 
Chaldee — the language of Nebuchadnezzar and Ni- 
tocris, and is prophetic, I need not say, nearly all 
prophecy ; and it may be proper to inquire — 

What is prophecy ? It has been defined a miracle 
of knowledge. It is a declaration, or description, or 
representation of something future, or, as Witsius 
says, " a knowledge and manifestation of secret 
things, which a man knows not from his own saga- 
city, nor from the relation of others, but by an ex- 
traordinary revelation of God from Heaven." It is 
the highest evidence of supernatural communion 
with the Deity, and this fact, taken in connection 
with the early date of prophecy, clearly proves that 
it was given for great, wise, and beneficent ends and 
purposes. " The uses of prophecy," says Dr. Jortin, 
'' besides gradually opening and unfolding the things 
relating to the Messiah, and the blessings which by 
Him should be conferred upon mankind, are many, 
great, and manifest. 



16 I INTRODUCTION. 

'^ 1st. It served to secure the belief of a God, and 
of a Providence. 

" 2d. It was intended to give men the profoundest 
veneration for that amazing knowledge from which 
nothing was concealed, not even the future actions 
of creatures, and the things which as yet were not. 
How could a man hope to hide any counsel, any 
design or thought, from such a Being. 

" 3. It contributed to keep up devotion and true 
religion, the religion of the heart, which consists 
partly in entertaining just and honorable notions of 
God and of his perfections, and which is a more 
rational and a more acceptable service than rites and 
ceremonies. 

" dth. It excited men to rely upon God, and to 
love him who condescended to hold this mutual inter- 
course with his creatures, and to permit them to 
consult him, as one friend asks advice of another. 

" 5th. It was intended to keep the people, to whom 
God revealed himself, from idolatry ; a sin to which 
the Jews would be inclined, both from the disposi- 
tion to it which they had acquired in Egypt, and from 
the contagion of bad example." 

It is quite as much beyond man's ability to fore- 
see and foretell future events (events not dependent 
on present, to us, known facts and conditions), as it 
is to heal the diseased with a word, to make the 
maimed whole, or to raise up the dead. That mira- 



INTRODUCTION. It 

cles, in tile common acceptation of the word, or mira- 
cles of power^ were performed, can be proved at a 
distant period of time only by witnesses against 
whom the unbelieving may cavil and object — to 
whose testimony they may refuse all credence. But 
he who reads prophecy, and perceives the corres- 
ponding event, is himself the witness of the miracle^ and 
the longer the lapse of time between the "utterance of 
the prediction and its fulfilment, the stronger the 
evidence that he who uttered it was divinely inspired, 
and that it is indeed a revelation from heaven. 
Those who stood around the tomb of Lazarus, and 
heard the majestic words of the Son of God — words 
clothed with omnipotence — " Lazarus, come forth," 
and saw the grave give up its mouldering captive, 
were witnesses of a stupendous miracle ; so are we, 
who, after the lapse of more than four thousand 
years, read the prophetic curse of Noah (Gen. ix. 
25, 26, 27) upon Canaan, and his prophetic blessing 
upon Shem and Japheth, and see their fulfilment 
before us. The Africans, or Hamites, as were many 
of the immediate descendants of Canaan, are still in 
servitude, and the Europeans are enlarging now, and 
dwelling in the tents of Shem. Those who were 
with Jesus in the ship, on the tempest-tossed sea, 
and heard him rebuke the wind and the waves, and 
saw the great calm which immediately ensued, were 
witnesses of a great miracle; no less are we, who, after 

2* 



18 INTRODUCTION. 

the lapse of three thousand years, read Moses's ac- 
count of the present character, condition, and disper- 
sion of the descendants of Jacob. If the Jews, in 
the days of the Messiah, who personally saw his won- 
derful works, and yet believed not, were doubtless 
fearfully guilty, and worthy of the deepest condem- 
nation, no less can be our demerit, and exposure to 
wrath, who read the ancient prophecies, and witness 
their fulfilment, if we abide in unbelief. 

The prophecies of the Sacred Scriptures differ 
widely from the pretended predictions of the hea- 
then, among whom imposture (if nothing worse) sup- 
plied the place of revelation. The events foretold 
by the prophets of Jehovah were often complicated 
and remote, dependent on the arbitrary will of 
many, and arising from various causes, which oc- 
curred to bring them to pass. Some prophecies 
were fulfilled immediately, or shortly after they 
were delivered, as in the case of Micaiah's predic- 
tion in reference to Ahab, 1 Kings, xxii. 28, and 
verse 34. The prophet had declared that if king 
Ahab returned '* at all in peace," from his expedi- 
tion, in alliance with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, 
against Eamoth-gilead, then the Lord had not spo- 
ken by him. And so it was, that in the day of bat- 
tle, one drew a bow at a venture, and sped his shaft, 
which smote the king between the joints of his har- 
ness, and he w^as wounded, and at evening died. 



INTRODUCTION. 19 

Some of their predictions had their accomplishment 
somewhat later, but the prophets who delivered them 
lived to see the event, e, g. the kings of Syria and 
Israel united together against Jerusalem. Ahaz, 
king of Judah, and all his subjects being seized with 
fear, the prophet Isaiah, by the command of God, 
came to him, and assured him that the enterprise 
should fail (Isai. vii. 7), and that before a child whose 
birth was then yet future, should have knowledge 
to cry " My father, and my mother," the riches of 
Damascus and the spoil of Samaria should be taken 
away before the king of Assyria, Isai. viii. 4. Within 
three years, the prediction was accomplished, im- 
probable as it might have seemed to human fore- 
sight, at the time of its utterance. Other prophecies, 
again, had a more distant object, but the fulfilment 
of those which were near, ever excited confidence in 
the truth of those which were distant, and the ac- 
complishment of the last confirm the first. 

To explain unfulfilled prophecy, I freely admit is 
very difficult, and in some particulars perhaps im- 
possible. The great fact or facts predicted are plain, 
and this is all that is necessary to keep alive the 
hopes — all that is required for the encouragement 
and support of the church, or people of God. But 
to give the detail, manner, exact time, and all the 
circumstances by which they were, and, in some 
instances, still are to be brought about, is, I imagine, 



20 INTRODUCTION. 

beyond human ability. The bondage of the Israel- 
ites, and their deliverance from Egyptian servitude, 
are plain facts ; but what uninspired exponent of 
prophecy could have told beforehand all the instru- 
mentalities by which these should be effected ? As, 
e, g, that Jacob should have twelve sons, that one of 
them, viz: Joseph, should be envied, hated, and sold 
by his brethren ; that in Egypt, after having suffered 
injustice and oppression for a season, he should won- 
derfully rise to place and great power ; that his 
family in Canaan, pressed b}^ famine, should, at his 
invitation, go down to the land of the Pharaohs and 
dwell there; that in the progress of time a king 
would arise, who had not known Joseph, and who 
should oppress the Hebrews, and make their life 
bitter by a burthensome and grievous servitude ; 
that God would raise up a deliverer in Moses, how 
he would cause him to be rescued from a watery 
grave, reared in the court of Pharaoh, appear to 
him in the burning bush, send him to the king with 
the demand to let his people go, and what means he 
would employ to glorify his power, and to humble 
the proud Egyptian monarch to the point of yield- 
ing to the demand of God, by his servant, to let the 
Israelites depart. Again, the overthrow of Babylon 
is a clear, distinct (predicted) fact ; but who, or what 
uninspired interpreter, could have told, before the 
event, the singular and wonderful providences by 



INTRODUCTION. 21 

whicli it was accomplished? And, finally, the re- 
demption of the world by the humiliation and suf- 
ferings of the Messiah, was a plain fact, clearly, 
fully predicted, nay, all the minutiae given, even to 
the casting of lots for his (the sufferer's) garments, 
yet what man, not a prophet of the Most High, 
could, before their accomplishment in Christ Jesus, 
have put them all together, consecutively, and side 
by side, and thus constituted one great whole? I 
will not affirm (though I apprehend that the affirma- 
tion might be safely and truthfully made) that it 
would have been utterly impossible, but very sure 
I am that it never was done. 

All this should teach us humility in our endea- 
vors to explain unfulfilled prophecy, yet by no means 
justifies neglect, on our part, of the prophetic por- 
tions of the sacred volume. Those are unquestiona- 
bly wrong — in great error, who undertake precisely 
and minutely to set forth the exact time, manner, 
and all the circumstances relating to the fulfilment 
of prophecy, whose accomplishment is yet future, 
as though they had been God's counsellors. Pre- 
sumption is the sin of these. But those are equally 
in error who, because they cannot understand all, 
make it a pretext or excuse to neglect prophetic 
studies, or the study of the prophetic scriptures, 
almost wholly, if not altogether. Such conduct is 
injurious to those who are chargeable with it. They 



22 INTRODUCTION. 

wrong their own souls, inasmucli as, by their own 
act, they lose a part of the great system of means 
which God employs to engage our faith, to support 
us under trials, and to guide us in duty, and has, 
accordingly, as high a title to our study and con- 
sideration as the law or the gospel, and can there- 
fore no more justifiably be neglected by us, or ex- 
cluded from the influence it is calculated to exert. 
Again, such conduct is injurious to God, as it pro- 
ceeds on the assumption that he made a series of 
communications to us, constituting a large portion 
of his word, which are of such a nature, that it is 
the part of good sense and discretion to shun them 
as though we understood what becomes us, or what 
is necessary for us, better than He, and had risen to 
such a knowledge of ourselves and Him, and such 
a refinement of taste, as to discern that he misjudged 
our faculties and the means that are adapted to sub- 
serve our improvement!. Such conduct, finally, is 
contrary to that of the prophets of old, who prophe- 
sied of the grace that should come unto us, for they 
searched diligently; "searching what, or what man- 
ner of time, the spirit of Christ, which was in them 
did signify, when it testified beforehand the suffer- 
ings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." 

This chapter (7th Daniel) is a miracle, a miracle of 
knowledge^ of which it is our privilege, in these lat- 
ter days, and in these ends of the earth, to be wit- 



GENERAL REMARKS, ETC. 23 

nesses^ so far as the predictions contained in it have 
been fulfilled — in so far as we behold the events 
foretold in it recorded in the world's histor}?-. The 
principal subjects successively brought before us in 
this chapter, are "the times of the GentileSj" includ- 
ing the four great monarchies, viz: the Babylonian, 
the Medo-Persian, the Grecian and its four divisions, 
the Eoman and its ten divisions, and finally Ecclesi- 
astical, or Pontifical Eome. The kingdom of the 
saints, which the Lord God shall set up, which suc- 
ceeds or follows all these, which shall be established 
after the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, also holds 
a prominent place — is indeed the topic of principal 
interest in this chapter. The points or subjects of 
greatest interest to us, perhaps, are those nearest to 
our own times, and those yet future, all which we 
can, however, best appreciate by a proper under- 
standing of the whole, and hence the propriety of 
beginning at the beginning. 



General Eemarks on the Four Monarchies of 
Daniel, 7th Chapter. (Yide Ajp^endix 1.) 

"In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, 
Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his 
bed : then he w^ote the dream, and told the sum of 
the matters." Dan. vii. 1. Belshazzar was the son 



24 GENERAL REMARKS, ETC, 

of Evil-merodach, and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar 
the Great, which latter personage occupies, per- 
haps, as large a space in the sacred volume as 
any other mere gentile prince, partly from his 
importance in the historical loorld^s history, but 
chiefly from his relation to the church or people 
of God. Daniel had the vision above referred to, 
about forty-eight years after his interpretation of 
Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great image, recorded 
in the second chapter of this book. He wrote his 
dream, left his vision on record, and "spake and 
said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold the 
four winds of heaven" (^. c, the east wind and the 
west wind, the north wind and the south wind) 
"strove upon the great sea," i, e, the IMediterranean, 
called great by the Jews, in distinction from the 
lakes and inland seas with which they were ac- 
quainted, as the lake of Gennesaret, the Dead Sea, 
&c. "And four great beasts came up from the sea, 
diverse one from another." V. 3. The four great 
beasts are four great monarchies or kingdoms. 
There never were more than four universal govern- 
ments and their divisions, as respects God's people, 
or the church, from Nebuchadnezzar down to the 
present time, and there never will be more, until the 
Gentile dominion end, and the saints of the Most 
High take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom, 
not for one thousand years^ but "forever, even for- 



GENERAL REMARKS, ETC. 25 

ever and ever. Even Mohammedanism, whose mis- 
sion was, at least in part, the punishment of an idola- 
trous church — even Mohammedanism, though of 
sufficient importance to have been the subject of 
prophecy, and occasionally exerting a wide-spread 
and terrible power, is yet after all a mere episode in 
the world's great drama. These (four) monarchies 
are called great, in comparison with other States or 
kingdoms that may have co-existed. But I appre- 
hend that it would be difficult to point out such 
States or kingdoms on the world's map, over which 
one or the other of these did not, at some time, or 
does not now, exercise more or less dominion. To 
be satisfied of this, let it be remembered that the 
last of the four, in its Papal phase, wields a terrible 
power, and exerts a blighting influence over vast 
portions of this western continent, which was not so 
much as known to the ancients, and exercises not a 
little authority in this free and happy land, the 
United States. If, however, there were, or are any 
such States, over which these never have exercised 
dominion, they must have been so remote, secluded, 
or insignificant, as not to attract attention, or else 
they must have been swallowed up, or absorbed by 
these voracious, all-absorbing governments. They 
never could have been of much, if indeed of any Ms- 
toric moment. Again, these monarchies were of di- 
vine ordination. Jer. xxvii. ^' The powers that be are 
3 



26 GENERAL REMARKS, ETC. 

ordained of God" (Eom. xiii.), and for these objects, 
viz: the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise 
of them that do well. It is the duty of all Christians 
to be in subjection to these governments, except when 
their requirements are contrary to the Divine will, 
then they must disobey, and risk the consequences, 
after the manner of Daniel, the three Hebrew 
worthies, and the Apostles Peter and John. These 
Gentile governments were, if I may so express my- 
self, free to act, as they who inimediatehj adminis- 
tered them, and as these were ofttimes very wicked, 
so also was the rule they exercised, and hence, 
on account of their rapacity, tyranny, cruelty, and 
oppression, especially with reference to the church, 
both under the old and under the new dispensation, 
they are denominated or represented as beasts. 
They have this unenviable distinction, that they 
were all persecuting governments, more or less. 
The saints at hest were only tolerated, ^V^hen these were 
left unharmed and at peace, or had privileges con- 
ferred upon them, we feel as thankful, and wonder 
almost as much as when we meet with Daniel unharm- 
ed and untouched in the den of lions. The same power 
that shut the lions' mouths, in the one case, that they 
hurt not the Lord's prophet, also restrained the wrath 
of these ferocious governments, that they extermi- 
nated not the church of the living God. They came 
up from the sea, on which the four winds of heaven 



GENERAL REMARKS, ETC. 27 

strove, i. e, from the then known world, bordering 
upon the Mediterranean, and which was agitated by 
wars and commotions, and fiercely conflicting human 
passions, as the sea lashed into fury by opposite and 
tempestuous winds. They were diverse one from 
the other, in-c:people, laws, and customs, and in the 
execution of their several administrations. The one 
was a lion, the other a bear, and a third a leopard ; 
each with some additional monstrosity. The lion 
^'had eagle's wings." The bear "had three ribs in the 
mouth, between the teeth." The leopard had " four 
wings of a fowl, and four heads," and IIilQ fourth least 
was so " dreadful and terrible, and strong exceed- 
ingly," with great iron teeth, that no beast in the 
earth was, I imagine, sufficiently beastly to give it a 
name, or to stand as its representative. 

These four universal monarchies, together with 
the ten kingdoms and the "little horn," constitute 
" the times of the Grentiles^'' in which the Gentiles and 
not the Saints have had the supremacy, do rule and 
will rule, until their time be fulfilled, or accomplished, 
when the "Ancient of days" shall come, and judg- 
ment be given to the saints of the Most High, and 
the time come that the saints possess the kingdom. 



CIIAPTEK TI. 

THE FIKST PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 

*' The first icas like a lion, and had eagle's wings; 
I belield till the wings thereof were plucked, and it 
was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon 
the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to 
it." Dan. vii. 4. The emblem or hieroglyphics here 
employed a " lion with eagle's wings," signifies a 
kingdom (verse 17), and a particular kingdom, the 
very same as that intended by the head of "fine 
gold" in Nebuchadnezzar's vision of the great image 
(chap, ii.), viz : the first in this line of monarchies, 
or the Babylonian. This kingdom is understood to 
be referred to, or spoken of as a lion, and an eagle 
by some of the other prophets. " Their roaring 
shall he like a lion; they shall roar like young lions; 
yea, they shall roar and lay hold of the prey, and 
shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it." 
Isai. V. 29. And again, "For thus saith the Lord; 
behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his 
wings over Moab." Jer. xlviii.-iO; see also Ezek. xvii. 
1-6. The lion is considered, or regarded as the king 



THE FIRST PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 29 

of beasts, and the eagle as holdiDg the first place 
among the feathered tribes, and hence Babylon, 
which was the first and noblest of these kingdoms, 
is represented in this place by this emblem. Its 
pre-eminence is also taught, is observable, and is 
intended by the "head of fine gold," in the second 
chapter of this prophecy. The "eagle's wings" de- 
note rapidity of movement, which was signally ex- 
emplified and illustrated in the conquests by Nebu- 
chadnezzar, before whom Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, 
Egypt, and Arabia quickly lay prostrate. After him, 
however, the lion's "eagle's wings" were plucked, 
for no further extension of empire seems to have 
taken place ; indeed Lydia, Media, and Persia, which 
had been provinces before, now revolted, and set up 
independent governments. 

This kingdom (the Babylonian) was founded a 
short time after the deluge, A. M. 1717 ; B. C. 2233 
or 34, and ended with the death of Belshazzar, B. 0. 
538. It may be proper to remark in this place, that 
what is generally understood by the Babylonian 
empire, began only about 606 B. C, when Belesis, 
the hereditary Satrap of Babylon, overthrew both 
Nineveh and Sardanapalus, and transferred, or made 
his own city the centre and seat of power. Indeed, 
strictly speaking, there were two distinct kingdoms 
of Babylon, the one preceding, the other succeed- 
ing, or following the Assyrian empire. Or rather, 

3* 



30 THE FIRST PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 

there were three great eras of ilie same monarchy in 
the country of Assyria. The first commences with 
Nimrod, when Babylon was the seat of power. The 
second begins with Ninus, when Nineveh became 
the metropolis of the empire ; and the third with 
Belesis, B.C. 606, when Babylon's palaces once more 
became the residence of the sovereigns of the East. 

This monarchy was universal, and at its zenith, 
under Nebuchadnezzar. Its universality, indeed, 
seems not to have extended much beyond his reign 
either way. Before his time there were some inde- 
pendent nations, as e. g. the Jews, the Egyptians, the 
Edomites, the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Tyrians, 
and the Zidonians, and after him, as we have seen, 
the " eagle's wings were plucked," by the revolt of 
the provinces of Lydia, Media, and Persia. 

If it were asked whence the universality of this 
monarchy? I would answer from God. It was an 
ordination from heaven. " For the God of heaven," 
spake the prophet to Nebuchadnezzar, " hath given 
thee a kingdom, power, strength, and glory, and 
wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of 
the field and the fowls of heaven hath he given into 
thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all." 
Dan. ii. 37, 88. The Lord, moreover, threatened the 
most terrible vengeance against those who should 
refuse obedience to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Baby- 
lon. That nation Jehovah said he would punish 



THE FIRST PROPHETIC KINGDOM 31 

with the sword, and with famine, and with the pesti- 
lence, until he had consumed them. "In the be- 
ginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, 
king of Judah, came this word unto Jeremiah from 
the Lord, saying. Thus saith the Lord to me ; Make 
thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, 
and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king 
of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to 
the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the 
hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem 
unto Zedekiah king of Judah ; and command them 
to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of 
hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your 
masters : I have made the earth, the man and the 
beast that are upon the ground, by my great power 
and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto 
whom it seemed meet unto me. And now have I 
given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchad- 
nezzar the king of Babylon, my servant ; and the 
beasts of the field have I given him also to serve 
him. And all nations shall serve him, and his 
son, and his son's son, until the very time of 
his land come; and then many nations and great 
kings shall serve themselves of him. And it 
shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom 
which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar 
the king of Babylon, and that will not put their 
neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that 



32 THE FIRST PROPHETIC KINGDOiM. 

nation will I punish, saitli the Lord, with- the 
sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, 
until I have consumed them by his hand." Jer. xxvii. 
1-9. Judah was not exempt from this universal 
requisition of Jehovah made on the nations to sub- 
mit to Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet also spake to 
Zedekiah, king of Judah, saying, ^' Bring your necks 
under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve 
him and his people, and live." Jer. xxvii. 12. The 
nations were guilty before God. The Jews w^ere 
very wicked, and the heathen abominable. God 
punishes nations here, for national sins. His instru- 
ments for punishment, or to inflict judgments, are 
many — drought, famine, pestilence, war. The 
tempest serves him. The fiery flame obeys him. 
All the elements are ministers of his pleasure, will, 
and purposes. Often he uses one nation as the exe- 
cutioner of his judgments upon another. Babylon 
was the instrument of the divine vengeance, and he 
made her strong to punish the guilty. She was the 
staff, wherewith he smote many nations; the weapon 
of war, which became drunk with the blood of the 
people. Jehovah, having accomplished his purposes, 
cast aside this instrument ; he brake this staff; he 
cast from him this weapon, for as Babylon was 
guilty also, there was done unto her as she had done 
unto others. 

This government was an absolute monarchy ; a 



THE FIRST PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 33 

despotism. The absolute power of tlie king, and 
the blind obedience of the people, are fully illustrated 
in the conduct of Nebuchadnezzar towards the ma- 
gicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chal- 
deans, as recorded in the second chapter of this 
book. His requirements of them seem to us un- 
natural, impossible, monstrous, and the penalty 
threatened in case of non-compliance, unjust, un- 
merited, and terrible. Again, it was an oppressive 
government. It smote the people in wrath, with a 
continual stroke. It ruled the nations in vengeance. 
It was a terrible and destructive government. The 
fierceness of war was the delight of its kings, and the 
Chaldeans themselves were bitter, sanguinary, and 
ferocious. It made the earth tremble, and shook the 
kingdoms. It desolated, dismantled, and depopulated 
cities. It made the world a wilderness. When it fell, 
the inhabitants of the earth gave a joyful shout, and 
the oppressed kingdoms together with their rulers 
rejoiced. 

As respects the relation of this government to the 
church — Zion was in subjection to " the Gentiles^^'' and 
still is, and will be, until their time is accomplished. 
The daughter of Zion was desolate, her children cap- 
tive, sitting by the waters of Babylon weeping, when 
they remembered Zion. The reason of this captivity 
we have succinctly and clearly given us in the 
second book of Chronicles, xxxvi. 11-22. ^^Zedekiah 



34 THE FIRST PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 

loas one and twenty years old when he began to 
reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 
And he did that vjliicli loas evil in the sight of the 
Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jere- 
miah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the 
Lord. And he also rebelled against king jSTebuchad- 
nezzar, who had made him swear by God ; but he 
stiSened his neck, and hardened his heart from turn- 
ing unto the Lord God of Israel. Moreover all the 
chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed 
very much after all the abominations of the heathen; 
and polluted the house of the Lord which he had 
hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their 
fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up 
betimes, and sending ; because he had compassion 
on his people, and on his dwelling-place; but they 
mocked the messengers of God, and despised his 
words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of 
the Lord arose against his people, till tliere ivas no 
remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king 
of the Chaldees," &c. &c. Nevertheless, though their 
sins brought destruction upon the Jews, their city 
and country, and seventy years subjection to the 
Babylonish yoke, yet it did not destroy the cove- 
nant relation, into which God had entered with the 
fathers, and any indignity offered to an afflicted 
people, or insult offered to the service of the Temple 
was regarded as an affront to the Most High, nor 



THE FIRST PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 35 

could it pass with impunity, though the perpetrators 
thereof were the potentates of the earth. 

The downfall and utter destruction of Babylon, 
and with her the ruin of the empire of which she 
was the proud metropolis, were subjects of prophecy. 
Isaiah foretold the doom pronounced against Baby- 
lon, more than one hundred years before the e\^ent, 
and called the prince by name, who fulfilled this 
prediction. About 540 B. C, Cyrus the Great in- 
vested this city with his victorious army, and after 
spending two years in this blockade, learned that 
there was a great festival to be celebrated in Babylon, 
and that it was the custom of the Babylonians on 
this occasion to spend the night in drunkenness and 
debauchery. Taking advantage of this circumstance, 
he drained the river which flowed through the midst 
of Babylon, and at midnight his troops found easy 
access along its bed into the city. In consequence 
of the general disorder, they encountered no obsta- 
cle whatever in their progress. Having penetrated 
into the heart of the city, the several division of 
Cyrus's army met, according to agreement, at the 
gates of the palace, overpowered the guards, cut in 
pieces all who opposed them, slew the king, Bel- 
shazzar, while attempting resistance, and received 
the submission of the whole city in a very few 
hours. 

Thus fell Babylon, proud city, over whose fall 



36 THE FIRST PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 

there were to be immense rejoicings, as we learn 
from the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah, in which is 
found the boldest figure, perhaps ever attempted by 
any writer, on any subject, in any poetic composi- 
tion. But Babylon was not only to fall, but to be 
utterly desolated. "And Babylon, the glory of 
kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, 
shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomor- 
rah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be 
dwelt in from generation to generation," &c. Isai. xiii. 
19. "I will make it a possession for the bittern, 
and pools of water ; I will sweep it with the besom 
of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts." Isai. xiv. 23. 
The entire desolation of Babylon was the result, 
partially of neglect, on the one hand, and of violence 
on the other. After its subjugation it ceased to be 
the metropolis of a kingdom, and rapidly declined 
in importance and splendor. In the reign of Darius 
Ilystaspes, 518 B. C, the inhabitants raised the 
standard of rebellion, which drew upon themselves 
the whole force of the Persian empire, which resulted 
in the execution of the chief rebels, and the derfioli- 
tion of the hundred gates, and the impregnable walls 
of the city. Xerxes, B. C. 478, on his return from 
his inglorious invasion of Greece, plundered the 
temple of Belus of its immense treasures, and laid 
its lofty tower in ruins, partly from his hatred to 
the Sabian worship, and partly to recruit his ex- 



THE FIRST PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 3t 

hausted treasury. Babylon declined rapidly under 
the successors of Alexander, wlio had attempted 
somewhat for its restoration, and in the year 294 
B. C, it was almost exhausted of its inhabitants by 
Seleucus Nicator, who built in its neighborhood the 
city of Seleuci, or New Babylon. It also suffered 
greatly from the neglect or violence of the Parthian 
princes, before the Christian era. Diodorus Siculus 
B. C. 44, Strabo B. C. 30, Pliny A. D. 66, Pausa- 
nias A. D. 150, Maximus Tyrius, and Constantine 
the Great, as recorded by Eusebius, all concur in 
describing its ruined condition ; and Jerome at length 
informs us that about the end of the fourth century, 
its walls were employed by the Persian princes as 
an inclosure for wild beasts, preserved there for the 
pleasure of the chase. 

The name of the metropolis of this first king- 
dom, Babylon, is in the sacred Scriptures applied 
to the metropolis of the last of this succession of 
monarchies, viz : Eome, and not pagan, but so called 
Christian, or rather papal Eome. In proof of this 
interesting fact, see Eev. xvi. 19, and xviii. 2, and also 
chap. xvii. "And there came one of the seven angels 
which had the seven vials, and talked with me, 
saying unto me, Come hither ; I will show unto thee 
the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon 
many waters : with whom the kings of the earth 
have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of 
4 



38 PAPAL ROME: 

the earth have been made drunk with the wine of 
her fornication. So he carried me away in the 
spirit into the wilderness : and I saw a woman sit 
upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blas- 
phemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And 
the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, 
and decked with gold and precious stones and 
pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of 
abominations and filthiness of her fornication. 
And upon her forehead was a name written, Mys- 
tery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and 
Abominations of the Earth. And I saw the woman 
drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the 
blood of the martyrs of Jesus ; and when I saw her, 
I wondered with great admiration." 

Now to fix with certainty on the place intended 
by "Babylon the Great," two things only are to be 
answered, viz: 1st, what is meant by the "many 
waters" in the first verse, where the whore sitteth ? 
and 2d, what is intended by the "woman" in this 
chapter, Eev. xvii ? All this we can do with the 
utmost precision or certainty, for the angel who 
spake with John, dropped the figurative style, and 
explained in the latter part of the chapter. By 
the "waters" he meant "peoples, and multitudes, 
and nations, and tongues," verse 15 ; and by the 
"woman" "that great city which reigneth over the 
kings of the earth," verse 18. Now what city, it 



CALLED BABYLON. 39 

may be asked, reigned over tlie kings of the earth, 
in the days of the apostle ? Rome^ answers every 
intelligent man; Rome^ says the historian; Rome^ 
says the protestant, and Rome^ must the candid 
papist say. It is demonstration, that the metropolis 
of the last of these kingdoms, or successions of 
kingdoms, is designated in the Bible by the name 
of the j^r5^, the only difference is, that papists apply 
the name Babylon to Eome in her pagan state, and 
it remains for me to prove that Eome papal is in- 
tended. 

Eome pagan is not intended, the time would not 
apply. When John saw this vision, pagan Eome 
was at the zenith (almost) of its glory, but " Babylon 
the Great" was yet to rise. This monster — this 
" mother of harlots" was yet future. It was only 
when the secular imperial Eoman power was taken 
out of the way, that she arose to notice, in full 
stature, influence, and power. 

Pagan Eome is not meant, the character would 
not suit. Pagan Eome never seduced the kings of 
the earth to join in her idolatries. She never in- 
toxicated them with the wine of her fornication. 
Whatever her sins, this may not be laid at her door. 
True, she subdued and ruled them with a rod of 
iron, but then generally left them to their ancient 
usages and worship ; nay, it is even said, imported 
the idols of the conquered nations and peoples, and 



40 PAPAL ROME: 

thus, instead of corrupting others in this respect, 
rather corrupted herself. But papal Rome, without 
any adequate temporal power, by subtlety, policy, 
and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, has 
exercised an ascendancy over kings and nations, 
attached them to her usurped dominion in blind 
submission, and induced them to conform to her idola- 
tries ^ and corruptions of Christianity, 

The color of the dress of the " woman" not only 
designates the city which she represents, but at what 
period of its history. Purple belonged to imperial ; 
purple and scarlet to papal Eome. Purple was the 
dress of the emperors. Purple and scarlet have 
always been the distinctive colors of Popes and 
cardinals. 

The name " Mystery," finally, in connection with 
'* Babylon the Great," points conclusively to Rome 
papal. In pagan Rome there was nothing to which 
this title was more proper, than to any other heathen 
city, nor would it have been very mysterious to 
have substituted one pagan city for another. But 
it was a great mystery indeed, that the professed 
metropolis of the Christian world should be another 
Babylon in idolatry, iniquity, and cruelty to the 
people of God. Affecting the character of our holy 
mother^ the churchy she is the " mother of harlots, and 
abominations of the earth;" the inventor, source, 
promoter and principal example of idolatries, and 



CALLED BABYLON. 41 

all kinds of abomiDable abuses and perversions of 
CHristianity with which the nations have been de- 
luded and corrupted. 

So much for the fact under consideration. Let us 
consider the reason, or reasons for this fact, viz: 
wherefore the chief city of the last in its latest phase, 
bears the name of the chief city of the first of these 
monarchies. These governments, though many and 
diverse, and administered by different people, with 
their centres of power in far distant places succes- 
sively, are yet all one in character^ viz : GENTILE, 
and all constituting but one period in prophecy — in 
the divine mind, as respects the world's history, and 
hence the Scripture use of the name Babylon, is easy 
and natural. But to the reasons more particularly : 

And first, papal Eome is called "Babylon," be- 
cause "Eome" resembles Babylon in her enmity 
against the church. Babylon was the most formida- 
ble foe of the church under the old dispensation, 
Eome has been her most terrible enemy under the 
new. Until, in later times, when comparatively 
shorn of its power for evil, the church of Jesus 
Christ has suffered immensely from this apostacy, 
as a long, dark, and sickening array of dungeons, 
and chains, and gibbets, and stakes, and racks, and 
deaths in their most unnatural and horrid forms, 
abundantly testify. Eome papal was immeasurably 

worse in this respect than Eome pagan. Ani unbe- 

45K 



42 PAPAL ROME : 

lieving and indiflferent Gallio may not care for any- 
tliing pertaining to the cause and gospel of the Son 
of God, but an apostate Julian must needs extermi- 
nate the church. 

Again, Eome papal is called by this name, because 
Borne resembles Babylon in her idolatry. Babylon, 
according to the prophet Jeremiah, was ^' the land 
of graven images," and mad upon their idols. Jer. 
50: 38. The provision made in this ancient capital 
for idolatrous purposes was immense. Eome papal 
is in Christendom the very head-quarters of images 
and image worship, and so infatuated, it is said 
(which I cannot fully credit), as to have left out of 
the Bible that part of the Decalogue which pro- 
hibits idolatrous image-making, and image-worship, 
and thus incurring the penalty of those who take 
away from the words of the divine record, and they 
must be mad upon their idols indeed, who will for 
themj on their account, run the certain and fearful 
hazard of having God to take away their part " out 
of the book of life." Idolatry took its rise at 
Babylon, was fostered and protected there, and from 
thence diffused itself abroad ; so with Eome under 
the Christian name, in modern times, under the 
gospel dispensation. Babylon of old was the chief 
of all idolatrous cities, hence she is taken to be the 
fittest emblem to set forth the enormous guilt, and 
exhibit in full light the extensive influence of idola- 



CALLED BABYLON. 43 

trous Eome; each in its turn, " the mother of harlots 
and abominations of the earth," the former corrupt- 
ing the heathen world (if that was possible) with her 
abominations, the laUer the Christian. 

Finally, papal Eome is thus designated, because 
Eome resembles Babylon in her overthrow. There 
were great rejoicings when Babylon fell ; there will 
be no less when Eome's judgment comes. Babylon 
was, according to the prophet, never to be inhabited ; 
Eome is to be a similar desolation. Eev. xviii. 21, 
22, 23. Babylon was to be as when the Lord over- 
threw Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomor- 
rah were consumed with fire, and Eome is destined 
to the flames also. Eev. xviii. 8. And then, when 
the mystic Babylon is no more, when the last metro- 
polis of the last prophetic gentile hingdom^ in its last 
phase, shall have passed away, then will be the Mil- 
lennium, the world's great Sabbath, differing from the 
six millennia, now well nigh spent, in this, that they 
were characterized by suffering and conflict, &c., for 
the saints ; but this is the Eest which remaineth for 
the people of God, the beginning, shall I say, of the 
eternal, the heavenly state. The one thousand years 
(the Apocalyptic ta x^'^^^o.ltr^, mille anni, whence the 
word millennium) marks the difference between the 
two resurrections, viz: that of the just, and that of 
the unjust. May the day be hastened when it shall 
be proclaimed that " Babylon the Great is fallen," for 



44 PAPAL ROME: CALLED BABYLON". 

afterwards the " meek shall inherit the earth" in 
" the regeneration^^'' possess forever the kingdom pre- 
pared for them from the foundation of the world, 
the KINGDOM forfeited by apostasy, but recovered 
through grace, which we are directed to seek (Matt, 
vi. 33), for whose coming we are to pray (Matt. vi. 
10), but which will not be until the judgment^ and the 
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Tim. iv. 1. 



OHAPTEE III. 

THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 

" And behold another beast, a second, like to a 
bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had 
three ribs in the mouth of it, between the teeth of 
it ; and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much 
flesh." Dan. vii. 5, When the first empire (which had 
stood so long, so many ages and centuries even) was 
at the zenith of its greatness, its power, and its 
glory, under Nebuchadnezzar, its great king, who 
could have imagined, anticipated, known, or foretold 
its speedy fall? Manifestly, none but he who is the 
Omniscient^ by whom kings rule, and to whomsoever 
he revealed it. To do this was wholly beyond the 
reach and range of unassisted human reason and 
human foresight, especially, too, as the world then 
lacked the many lessons on the instability of earthly 
kingdoms, which have since been so abundantly, so 
often, and so impressively taught. For any man to 
foreknow and foretell this event, he must have a 
revelation from heaven. It required the Divine in- 



46 THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 

terposition as much as the miraculous opening of 
the eyes of the blind, the healing of the sick, or the 
raising of the dead. Who could have truly pre- 
dicted what monarchy would succeed the first, men- 
tion it by name even, as also Cyrus, and what 
interesting act he would do in reference to the Jews 
or the church ? None evidently but he who sets 
up kings and dethrones them, and giveth the king- 
dom to whomsoever he will, and those to whom God 
reveals his purposes. Daniel foretold and left on 
record some of the things above referred to, and 
hence Daniel was a prophet of the Most High God, 
and hence, too, every passage in his book is deserv- 
ing of our most serious, solemn, and prayerful atten- 
tion, for, like all Scripture, it must be '' profitable 
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction 
in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 

The symbol here employed, is a beast like unto a 
bear, and the thing signified is a government, viz: 
the second universal monarchy that existed after, or 
since the deluge, from the days of Nimrod, or rather 
Nebuchadnezzar, to the present time, as also the 
nature or character, and comparative dignity of this 
government. ^'Tt raised up itself on one side." The 
Medes and Persians carried their conquering arms 
almost wholly to one side of their own countries, viz: 
to the westward; Media and Persia, before separate, 



THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 47 

now united, formed one government, or the Persians, 
who were the inferior people, acquired the chief 
dominion. *' It had three ribs in the mouth of it, 
between the teeth of it," wdiich may signify how 
various kingdoms, especially Babylon, and Lydia, 
and Egypt, were ground down and oppressed by this 
beast, though as ribs, which give strength to the 
body, these were a powerful support to their con- 
querors and spoilers. And they said thus unto it, 
"Arise, devour much flesh." This has been explained 
as referring to the providential dispensations, which 
excited the Medes and Persians to attempt extensive 
conquests; or to the cruelty of the Persian kings, 
which has hardly ever been exceeded, or even 
equalled. 

As respects the nature or character of this govern- 
ment, it was, like its predecessor, a beast, or beastly ; 
i, e.j rapacious^ cruel, sanguinary, ferocious, and op- 
pressive. It resembled the preceding in extent of 
dominion. Like the former, it was universal. In 
the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord 
stirred up his spirit, that he made a proclamation 
throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writ- 
ing, saying: "Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The 
Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms 
of the earth," Ezra, i. 2. Cyrus at this time reigned 
over the Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, Armenians, 
Syrians, Assyrians, Arabians, Cappadocians, Phry- 



48 THE SECOND PROrHETIC KINGDOM. 

gians, Lydians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, Bactrians, 
Indians, Saci, Cilicians, Paphlagonians, &c. &c. His 
dominion extended to the Ked Sea, eastward ; to the 
Euxine, north; to the island of Cyprus and Egypt, 
west ; and on the south, to Ethiopia. All things, 
all creatures, beings and events, are subject to, and 
■under the control of God. Little children, or rather 
young men, revile his prophet, and bears are sent to 
slay them. Eavens feed Elijah at the brook of Che- 
rith, and a fish is directed to the hook of an apostle, 
with a sufficiency of money in its mouth to pay the 
tribute of both Master and disciple. As the fowls 
of the air, the beasts of the field, and the denizens 
of the deep, so are the hearts of all men, and of 
kings also, in the hands of the Almighty, to be 
directed whither, and as he pleases. Cyrus was the 
servant of the Most High, the executor of his de- 
signs and purposes, whether always, or at any time, 
consciously and voluntarily such, it is not our object 
now to inquire. Again, this government was in- 
ferior to the Babylonian, more ignoble, only "like 
to a bear," whilst that was "like a lion." The 
former was symbolized by the king of beasts, this 
only by an inferior animal. Finally, the bear is 
most voracious and cruel, and has been denominated 
an all devouring animal, and hence the government 
thus represented, must have been a great robber and 
spoiler; and accordingly, ancient authors stigmatize 



THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 49 

the Medes and Persians, as signalized in tliis respect 
beyond all people that ever oppressed the nations. 

The empire intended in this verse (ver. 5, chap, vii.), 
is the very same as that signified by the breast and 
arms of silver, in Nebuchadnezzar's vision of the 
great image (chap, ii.), in which, also, its inferiority 
to the preceding is manifest, inasmuch as that is 
symbolized by a head of " fine gold," and this, by 
an inferior metal only. This kingdom or govern- 
ment, we have once more represented to us in chap, 
viii. 3, 4. "Then I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and 
behold there stood before the river a ram, which had 
two horns, and the two horns were high, but one 
was higher than the other, and the higher came up 
last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and north- 
ward, and southward, so that no beast might stand 
before him, neither was there any that could deliver 
out of his hand ; but he did according to his will 
and became great." A ram was the symbol of the 
Persians, and a ram's head with two horns, one 
higher than the other appears as such, in the ruins 
of Persepolis. The ram had two horns, ^. e. two 
kingdoms, viz: the Medes and the Persians. The 
one horn was higher than the other, "and the 
higher came up last." Persia was the higher horn, 
and came up last ; was of little historical or political 
importance before Cyrus. Media, signified by the 
shorter horn, was the more ancient of the two king- 
5 



50 THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 

doms. The ram pushed ^'westward, and northward, 
and southward," {. e. toward Glreece, Scythia, and 
Egypt. "He did according to his will;" no nation, 
people, or power, could at that time stand before this 
monarchy, or stay the victorious progress of the 
Persian arms, for the Medo-Persian is the empire 
intended, as we are certified by the angel Gabriel 
himself, who in explanation to Daniel, declared, " the 
ram which thou sawest, having two horns, are the 
kings of Media and Persia." Dan. viii. 20. 

The relation of this government to the people of 
God, and the condition of the church under it, is, 
in this place, a legitimate subject for inquiry. This 
succession of human governments, as we have seen, 
is symbolized by a succession of beasts. The church 
is represented, or spoken of in the sacred Scriptures 
as a flock, the members constituting the church, as 
sheep. The flock, it is worthy of note, has dwelt 
with ravenous beasts from Nebuchadnezzar to the 
present time. These beasts, when glutted with ravin 
elsewhere, have left the flock unmolested, and then 
again have made havoc of the sheep. This, I ap- 
prehend, is the true idea of the reciprocal relations 
of these governments and the church. I do not dis- 
card human governments, far from it, for they are 
of God's ordination or permission. " Let every 
soul," says the apostle, "be subject unto the higher 
powers. For there is no power but of God : the 



THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM, 51 

powers that be are ordained of God. Whoso- 
ever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the or- 
dinance of God ; and they that resist shall receive 
to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a 
terror to good works, but to the evil." Eom. xiii. 1-3. 
Human governments and rulers, however, whatever 
their ordination and intent, may transcend their 
delegated authority, run counter to their mission, 
abuse their power, and often do so, and are greatly 
guilty before God. I do not discard human govern- 
ments, as already observed, but what I mean to say 
in this connection is, that the God who ordained or 
permitted these^ has represented them by beasts, and 
we may be sure not without a good and sufScient 
cause. But to proceed, the Jews (among whom also 
we look for the true church, in these olden times of 
which we here speak), after seventy years captivity, 
were permitted to return to their own land, according 
to an edict of Cyrus, who overturned the Chaldean 
empire. The prophets foretold the exploits of this 
king. Isaiah declared, or mentioned his name, even 
above a century before he was born. "That saith of 
Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my 
pleasure : even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be 
built ; and to the temple. Thy foundation shall be 
laid." Isai. xliv. 28. And again, "Thus saith the 
Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I 
have holden, to subdue nations before him," &c. Isai. 



52 THE SECOND rROPHETIC KINGDOM. 

xlv. 1. Joseplius says, that the Jews of Babylon 
showed the former passage to Cyrus ; and in the 
edict which he granted for their return, he acknow- 
ledged that he received the empire of the world from 
the God of Israel. The peculiar designation by 
name, which Cyrus received, must be regarded as 
one of the most remarkable circumstances in the 
prophetic waitings. He was heir of a monarch who 
ruled over one of the poorest and most inconsidera- 
ble kingdoms of Asia, and the providential circum- 
stances, in which he was placed, precluded him from 
all knowledge of this oracular declaration in his 
favor. He did not become acquainted w^ith the 
sacred Book in which it was contained, nor with the 
singular people in whose possession it was found, 
until he had accomplished all the purposes for which 
he had been raised up, except that of saying to 
Jerusalem, as the anointed vicegerent of licaven, 
^'Thou shalt be inhabited," and to the cities of 
Judah, "Ye shall be built, and I will raise up their 
ruins." 

The Jews (or the church) received various marks 
of favor from this monarchy ; nevertheless, the 
church and people of God iccre in subjection to the 
Gentiles^ and hence exposed to vexatious and danger- 
ous heathen influences, for after the death of Nehe- 
miah, who succeeded Ezra, Judea had no longer a 
governor of its own, but was united to Syria, the 



THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 53 

rulers of which committed the administration of both 
civil and ecclesiastical affairs to the High Priest, and 
by this means the High Priesthood became an of&ce 
under the heathen. Again, they were exposed also 
to entire extermination. Haman had obtained a 
decree to this effect from Ahasuerus, the king ; but 
it was graciously overruled for the preservation of 
the Jews, and the destruction and confusion of their 
enemies. This decree shows the absolute, terrible, 
and dangerous power of these kings, who could, 
with the stroke of a pen, as it were, exterminate a 
nation. We regard with a just contempt and abhor- 
rence the imbecility, ignorance, or bigotry which 
could suffer itself to be thus imposed upon, and 
persuaded to wholesale butchery, bloodshed, and 
murder, as was contemplated, and authorized, and 
commanded by this decree. The time and age also 
in which such enormities could be perpetrated, we 
look upon with aversion, and thank God that they 
are passed. But similar outrages (we might blush 
to write it) have happened, and been contemplated 
in nominally Christian countries. In the year A. D. 
1572, at midnight, not only was the signal given to 
massacre all the Huguenots who were found in 
Paris, but orders were moreover issued to extend 
the slaughter throughout the whole kingdom, in 
consequence of which, in the space of thirty days, 
upwards of thirty thousand victims, it is estimated, 

5* 



54 THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 

were slain. Father La Chaise, confessor to Louis 
the XIV., obtained a commission from the king to 
murder all the Huguenots in one day, in which, 
however, he was providentially foiled by the inter- 
vention of the Prince of Conde, as was Haman of 
old in his murderous intentions, by Mordecai the 
Jew. In 1688, this same man, in a letter to Father 
Peters, confessor to James IL, of England, in answer 
to the question which the latter put to him, ^' What 
is the best course to be taken to root out all here- 
tics?" recommended the following, "And lastly, take 
the short and the best way, which is to surprise "the 
heretics on a sudden, and to encourage the zealous 
Catholics; let them sacrifice cdl^ and wash their hands 
in their hloodj which will he an acceptahle offering to 

Godr 

The ancient church (T have used the terms Jews, 
church, and people of God synonymously ; not that 
the Jews, indeed, were all righteous, but still among 
them, under the old covenant, was found the true 
church. In the same way, all called by the name of 
Christ, under the new dispensation, are not Chris- 
tians, truly members of Christ's mystic body, the 
church, yet is this church to be sought and found 
only among those professing Christianity, and not 
with or among the unbelieving and unconverted 
Jews, Mohammedans and heathen) — the ancient 
church, I repeat, suffered less from this govern- 



THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 55 

ment than from the preceding, and less than from 
some of the kings that followed, yet still they at 
times, during the continuance of this monarchy, 
were far from sitting under their own vine and fig- 
tree, with none to molest them, or to make them 
afraid. The quiet, repose, and security indicated by 
this language was not always theirs. But that the 
" bear" should have had his attention directed to the 
flock, and yet not devoured the sheep, but mani- 
fested forbearance, nay, generosity and kindness 
even, or, in other words, that the Medo-Persian 
government was at any time favorable to the church 
at all, is wonderful indeed, as much so as if a bear 
literally should spare a flock which might chance 
to be in his power, as much so as that Daniel was 
unharmed in a den of lions. It was the same power 
which restrained in either case. Both were the 
result of the Divine interposition. 

Thank God for the quiet, and rest, and security 
even which the church sometimes enjoyed in her 
pilgrimage-state, on the one hand, and on the other, 
thank God for the glorious hope, the certain assur- 
ance that the captivity of Zion is destined ultimately 
to cease, inasmuch as the judgment shall sit, and 
they shall take away the dominion of the last of 
these persecuting powers, ''to consume it, and to 
destroy it unto the end." Her rest, partial and 
interrupted here, shall be glorious indeed when her 



56 THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 

tribulations are ended, when all her children shall 
stand before the throne of God, arrayed in white 
robes, serve him. day and night in his temple ; and 
he that sitteth upon the throne shall dwell among 
them, and they shall hunger no more, neither thirst 
any more, and the sun shall not light on them, nor 
any heat, when the Lamb which is in the midst of the 
throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto 
living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away 
all tears from their eyes. 

The church will not always be indebted for favors 
to fierce, ferocious, oppressive, and crushing govern- 
ments. The night is far spent ; the day is approach- 
ing, in the morning of which the righteous shall 
have the dominion. The church shall not always 
be indebted for quiet or security to the forbearance 
of those who exercise gentile rule over her children, for 
the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the 
kingdom under the whole heaven, will be given unto 
them. Let us, let as many as have this faith and 
this hope, earnestly labor for the coming of that 
kingdom by cheerfully dividing their heavenly bread 
with those who are famishing with hunger, and giv- 
ing the water of life to those who are perishing with 
thirst. The effectual, fervent prayer of all disciples, 
in accordance with their great Master's teachings, 
should always be, ^' Thy kingdom come." Their pre- 
paration to meet their King should be constant, that 



THE SECOND PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 5T 

when lie comes they may shout with ecstasy, This 
is our God ; zve have ivaited for him ! that when the 
ransomed of the Lord shall have come to the hea- 
venly Zion, they may all be found among the kings 
who shall peaceably, and securely, and eternally 
possess the kingdom, and stand among the priests who 
minister in the temple of God forever. May earth, so 
long separated by sin, so long the charnel-house of 
plague and pestilence, so long the arena of war and 
battle, be right speedily reknit to Heaven, and con- 
stitute again, as at the first, an integral part of the 
great realm of glory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Amen! 



CHAPTER lY. 

THE THIRD PROPHETIC KINGDOM. 
ITS FIRST PHASES. 

The Babylonian empire, in the prophetic vision, 
having fallen, the Medo-Persian also having passed 
away, numbered with the things that ivere, another arose. 
" After this, I beheld, and lo, another, like a leopard, 
which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl ; 
the beast had also four heads, and dominion was 
given to it." Dan. vii. 6. I will at once say that 
this passage, under the symbol of a beast, &c., signi- 
fies a government and governments, viz : the Mace- 
donian and its divisions. 

This monarchy is represented in the Scripture 
under consideration, thus: It was a beast "like a 
leopard." It has justly been remarked, that Alex- 
ander and his subjects are fitly compared to this 
animal. The leopard is remarkable for its swiftness, 
and Alexander and his Macedonians were most rapid 
in their movements and conquests. The leopard is 
a spotted beast, and therefore a proper emblem of 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : FIRST PHASE. 59 

the various nations, Macedonians, Greeks, Syrians, 
Jews, Modes, Persians, and Egyptians, with their 
various customs and languages. And finally, the 
leopard, though small, is very courageous, and is 
said not to be afraid to attack the lion, and Alex- 
ander, though king of a comparatively small coun- 
try only, with small resources, yet resolutely entered 
the contest with the power which then swayed the 
w^orld. As, moreover, the leopard is not of one 
color, so the first king of this monarchy, who is here 
chiefly intended, did not always exhibit the same 
character. Sometimes, as every student of history 
knows, he was mild, and at other times cruel, sober, 
and then again drunken, continent and licentious, 
exhibiting now great power of self-control, and again 
the abject slave of fierce passion. Finally, this beast 
^' had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl." 
The Babylonian empire, or rather the animal repre- 
senting it, had two wings (and but two), signifying 
the rapidity of Nebuchadnezzar's conquests ; but this 
had four, twice as many as the preceding, and ac- 
cordingly the annals of time or of the w^orld record 
no military movements and conquests so rapid, over- 
whelming, and universal as those of Alexander. 
"When about twenty years old, he commenced his 
wars, and at the age of thirty-two or thirty-three, he 
was master of the world. In a few years, he ran 



60 THE THIRD KINGDOM : FIRST rilASE. 

through all the countries from Illyricum and the 
Adriatic Sea to the Indian Ocean and the river 
Ganges. 

In the second chapter of this book (Dan.), this 
empire of which we are now speaking is represented 
by the hrazen part or portion of the image, which 
was constituted of gold, silver, brass, iron, and clay ; 
and in the eighth chapter, it is symbolized by the 
'' he-goat." " And as I was considering, behold, an 
he-goat came from the west, on the face of the whole 
earth, and touched not the ground ; and the goat 
had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came 
to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen 
standing before the river, and ran unto him in the 
fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto 
the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, 
and smote the ram, and brake his two horns ; and 
there was no power in the ram- to stand before him, 
but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped 
upon him ; and there was none that could deliver 
the ram out of his hand." Dan. viii. 5, 6, 7. He 
"came from the west," i, e. from Greece, which lay 
west from Persia. lie came " on the face of the 
whole earth ;" he swept over an immense territory 
with his victorious army, over many cities, countries, 
and nations, as, e, g.^ Asia Minor, Tyre, Palestine, 
Egypt, Bithynia, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and 
Cilicia. He '^ touched not the ground," f. e., he ad- 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : FIRST PHASE. 61 

vanced with great celerity, moved witli incredible 
swiftness, as if borne forward and onward on the 
wings of the tempest. He " had a notable horn be- 
tween his eyes." This " notable horn" doubtless had 
reference to, or signified the first king of this mon- 
archy, viz : Alexander, called the Great, whose name 
still lives in history as one of the most celebrated 
commanders and successful military chieftains the 
world ever knew. He " came to the ram that had 
two horns." Alexander, with his victorious army, 
consisting of only between thirty and forty thousand 
horse and foot, attacked the king and kingdom of 
the Medes and Persians, " and smote the ram," as in 
the great victories at Granicus, Issus, and Arbela, 
" and brake his two horns," i.e,^ the Medes and Per- 
sians, and " cast him down to the ground, and stamped 
upon him," because absolute master of the Medo- 
Persian empire, nor had Darius any friends or allies 
to help or save him, his land, or his people, from 
entire subjection to the power of the Macedonian 
king. 

The character of this government may, I appre- 
hend, be best understood by considering the charac- 
ter of its (almost) only king, Alexander the Great, 
whose will was law, whose power was supreme. It 
is indeed true, that his natural brother, and his two 
sons, kept up the show of the Macedonian monarchy 
for a short time after his death, but it was only a 
6 



62 THE THIRD KINGDOM : FIRST PHASE. 

sliow, so that Alexander's character is, after all, the 
only thing that need be considered, rightly to ap- 
preciate, or understand the nature of this govern- 
ment. He was a bold, enterprising spirit, more full 
of fire than discretion. His actions, though success- 
ful, were furious, and extravagantly rash. It was 
then a bold, energetic, successful, but furious govern- 
ment. His virtues were but few, and these were 
obscured by greater vices. Vain glory was his 
predominant passion, and the fables of the ancient 
Grecian heroes, the only chart by which he steered 
his course, the only rule which regulated his con- 
duct. His dragging Balis around Gaza, his expedi- 
tion into India, his drunken procession through 
Caramania, and taking to himself the name of the 
son of Jupiter, are so many vouchers for the truth 
of these assertions. Alexander was the great cut- 
throat of his age ; for, except in a righteous cause, 
or a just defence of a man's own country, family, 
and kindred, against the ruthless invader, war and 
battle, crowned with victory and conquest, are no 
better than plunder, robbery, and murder. These, 
nevertheless, are the men w^hom the world delights 
to honor, whose names stand emblazoned on the page 
of history. But, infinitely better, live in obscurity, 
and die unknown, and have our names recorded in 
the "Lamb's Book of Life;" for the names of all 
wicked men, however distinguished in the annals of 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : FIRST PHASE. - 63 

time, are destined to " rot," and tlieir memorial utterly 
to perish. Sucli as we have described it, was the 
character of the chief of the Macedonian monarchy, 
and as he was supreme, his word law, his will para- 
mount, such, also, precisely, was the character of the 
government under consideration. 

As respects the duration of this empire, suffice it 
to say, that in its first phase, it was short. If we 
reckon from the beginning of Alexander's wars until 
the murder of all his successors, viz : his natural 
brother, Philip Arideus, and his sons, Alexander 
^gus and Hercules, it will be only twenty-seven or 
twenty-eight years until the division occurred, pre- 
dicted in the verse under consideration, and which 
we shall presently have occasion to notice. The 
continuance of this monarchy, as we have seen, was 
very brief. Its first king's career was brilliant, in- 
deed, as the meteor's flash athwart the midnight 
heavens, but like it, also, was suddenly extinguished 
— set in everlasting darkness. He " was broken," 
in the expressive language of prophecy. He was 
not killed in war. He fell not in battle. He died 
not on the bed of honor, but of a drunken surfeit, if 
not of poison, a monument of the vanity of mere 
human greatness, of earthly pomp and power, and 
their utter insufficiency to make man happy, for it is 
recorded of him, that when the world lay prostrate 
at his feet, he was affected even unto tears — he wept, 



64 . THE THIRD KINGDOM : FIRST PHASE. 

because there was not another world for him to 
conquer. 

In regard to the relation of the church to this 
government, I remark, that the church was still in 
subjection to this as to the preceding monarchies. 
Zion's captivity, in this particular, was still continued. 
The Jewish nation was exposed to destruction, from 
an enraged and furious conqueror, who hastened to 
avenge himself upon them, and would have brought 
ruin upon them — burnt their city, it may be, wasted 
their land, and slain and scattered their people, but 
for the interposition of the God of Israel, who over- 
ruled the king's wrath, and made him, instead of the 
destroyer, the benefactor of his people. Whilst 
Alexander besieged Tyre, he demanded the submis- 
sion of the neighboring provinces of Galilee, Samaria, 
and Judea. The two former submitted to him, but 
Judea would not renounce its allegiance to Darius, so 
long as he lived. This brought upon the Jews the 
wrath of the conqueror, who having taken Tyre, 
and burned it to the ground, barbarously slain its 
inhabitants, both in the sackage of the city, and' 
afterwards in cold blood, then marched to Jerusalem, 
to wreak his vengeance upon that place and people. 
Upon his approach, and the report of his having 
crucified two thousand Tj-rian prisoners, the high- 
priest, Jaddua, and all the city, were under dreadful 
apprehensions. They fasted and prayed, and God, 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : FIRST PHASE. 65 

in a vision, directed the high-priest to go in his 
pontifical robes, attended by the priests in their pro- 
per habits, and by all the people, clothed in white 
garments, and meet Alexander out of the city. They 
obeyed, and as soon as Alexander saw this procession 
moving towards him, and the high-priest in front, he 
was overawed, drew near, bowed down, and saluted 
him in a religious manner, alleging that he did so in 
regard to that God whose priest he was; adding, 
moreover, that the high-priest, so habited, had ap- 
peared to him in a dream, at Dio, in Macedonia, as- 
suring him of success against the Persians. Jaddua 
conducted him into the city, and having offered sacri- 
fices in the temple, showed him the prophecies of 
Daniel, concerning the overthrow of the Persian 
empire by a Grecian king. Alexander was so well 
satisfied with his reception at Jerusalem, that at his 
departure from that city, he not only granted the 
Jews a toleration of their religion, but also an ex- 
emption from tribute every seventh year. How fully 
are the hearts of rulers, kings, and conquerors, in 
the hands of God ! How easily can he restrain the 
wrath of man, or cause it to praise him ! How effec- 
tual is earnest, united, importunate, faithful prayer ! 
It is indeed invincible, stronger than adamantine 
walls, and mightier than the crushing thunderbolt. 
All earthly powers, and might, and dominion, sink 
before it, and brazen bolts, and iron bars, melt in its 

6* 



66 THE THIRD kingdom: first thase. 

lightning breath. With this wonder-working rod 
in their hands, the people of God are the lords of 
the world, controlling the treasures of both heaven 
and earth. Stretched out, the waters of the Eed Sea 
recede and advance, for their own deliverance, and 
for the confusion, overthrow, and destruction, of their 
enemies. Lifted up, the Amalekite is smitten before 
them, and struck upon the rock, living waters gush 
forth, that they may drink and live. 

The Macedpnian government, like those which we 
have already had under review, was ordained by, or 
permitted of God. It was the one best suited to the 
then state or condition of human society. It was 
the very best the nations were capable of in that 
age, and infinitely better than the deserts of an 
apostate world; for though scourging, overwhelm- 
ing, and desolating, yet was it exactly calculated to 
overturn and overturn^ preparatory to the ultimate 
introduction of that better state of things, which God 
intends for the obedient of the human race, for those 
of the sons and daughters of Adam who shall be 
forever monuments of the might and magnificence 
of his grace. In a word, it was such a government 
as was best adapted to advance the divine purpose 
of grace and mercy and glory in the earth. 

The first king of this monarchy, though successful 
to an unparalleled extent, as signified in prophecy, 
was nevertheless dissatisfied with his possessions. 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : FIRST PHASE. G7 

and unhappy, tliougli a world was at his feet. Be- 
cause he was destitute of, and a stranger to the true 
riches, hecause he was " not rich towards God," he felt 
unhappy and poor, and he was poor indeed. Mere 
earthly transitory things are in their very nature 
unsatisfying to an immortal spirit, and can profit 
those nothing who lose their souls, and who have 
not Jehovah, as the patriarch Abraham had, for 
their "shield and exceeding great reward." Alex- 
ander lost his kingdom, his crown, and his life, 
through gross sensuality; and it is the part of 
wisdom to beware lest through earthly-mindedness 
or carnality, we forfeit a higher life, a brighter 
crown, and a more enduring kingdom, even the 
"eternal life," which is "the gift of God," through 
our Lord Jesus Christ ; the "crown of righteousness, 
which the Lord, the righteous judge," will give to all 
who "love his appearing," and that kingdom, which 
shall never be overturned, the KINGDOM of the 
ever blessed God. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE THIRD PEOPHETIC KINGDOM — ITS SECOND 
PHASE. 

The Jewisli Eabbins, it is said, Lave endeavored to 
degrade Daniel, and have accordingly placed liis 
prophecies among the hagiographa^ or books which 
they conceive to possess a minor degree of inspiration, 
and it is probable that he meets with this treatment 
at their hands, because his prophecies are proofs too 
evident, that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah, and 
that he came at the very time that Daniel said the 
Prince Messiah should come. But the sayings of 
such men are infinitely overbalanced by the testimony 
of Ezekiel, and still more by the testimony of our 
Lord, who gives him the title of prophet. Matt. xxiv. 
15, without the slightest intimation that he was not 
such in the highest, fullest, and best sense of the word. 

We admire the prophet's circumstantial precision, 
when we read his book, look at his predictions, and 
compare them with the history of the world, as 
handed down to us in the annals of time. He not 
only foretold the fall of the Medo-Persian monarchy. 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : SECOND PHASE. 69 

and that a universal empire slionld succeed or follow 
it, but also wliat monarchy, viz : the Grecian, noticed 
especially its first king, the division of this kingdom 
on the death of its first monarch, and also the precise 
number of parts into which it should fall. Yerily 
Daniel was a prophet of the Most High God, a man 
in communion and communication with the Omnis- 
cient. The God of Heaven made known to him the 
things that were yet future. 

But to proceed, 'Hhe beast had also four heads." 
This language signified the division of the empire, 
viz : the Macedonian, into four p^rts. We have the 
same thing represented to us in Daniel, chapter viii. 
verse 8, wherein it is said that when the " great 
horn," representing the first king, " was broken, four 
notable ones" came up for it, "toward the four winds 
of heaven." Now what does history teach us on 
this subject? The very thing here predicted. After 
the death of Alexander, his empire was so divided, 
between four of his generals, viz : Seleucus, Lysi- 
machus, Ptolemy, and Cassander. Seleucus took 
Syria, and from him the Seleucidse, famous in his- 
tory, sprang. Lysimachus obtained Asia Minor, 
Ptolemy secured Egypt for himself, and Cassander, 
Greece and the neighboring countries. These four 
held dominion toward the four winds of heaven ; 
Seleucus east, Cassander west, Lysimachus north, and 
Ptolem.y south. 



70 THE THIRD KINGDOM : SECOND TIIASE. 

" And dominion was given unto it." This is said 
in reference to the leopard, or the government thus 
symbolized generally. "Dominion was given unto 
it." It was not owing to the skill, courage, valor, 
and conduct of Alexander and his troops that he 
made those wonderful conquests. The nations were 
given unto him. Without the divine interposition, 
rule, order, and purpose, he could not, with his 
handful of men, have obtained the victory over such 
multitudes; he could not, in so short a time, nor 
indeed in any time at all, have brought all the 
countries and nations, from Greece to India, into sub- 
jection. Eulers, kings, kingdoms, governments, 
nations, communities, and individuals, are all con- 
trolled by a higher power, and whether they are 
conscious of it or not, whether they intend it or 
otherwise, all labor for the accomplishment of the 
divine purposes, under the superintending, overruling 
providence of God. This we have admirably illus- 
trated in the case of the heathen monarch and con- 
queror, Nebuchadnezzar, who fought long and 
terribly before the walls of Tyre, until, in the ex- 
pressive language of Scripture, " every shoulder was 
peeled, and every head was bald." In the light of 
revelation we see that (though he neither knew nor 
intended it) it teas Jehovah tcho set him to luorh. He, 
whilst imagining that he followed his own inclina- 
tions, and worked out his own purposes, yet worked 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : SECOND PHASE. 71 

for God, and because he labored faithfully and well, 
the Lord promised to give him Egypt in recompense. 
" And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth 
year, in the first monthj in the first day of the month, 
the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. Son of 
man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his 
army to serve a great service against Tyrus ; every 
head teas made bald, and every shoulder was peeled ; 
yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for 
the service that he had served against it. Therefore 
thus saith the Lord God : Behold, I will give the 
land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Baby- 
lon ; and he shall take her multitude, and take her 
spoil, and take her prey ; and it shall be the wages 
for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt 
for his labor, wherewith he served against it, because 
they wrought for me, saith the Lord God." Ezek. 
xxix. 17, 18, 19, and 20. Happy they who are the 
voluntary^ conscious^ cheerful co-workers with God, in 
promoting, by all right means, his great purposes of 
grace and glory ! They shall not fail of their reward, 
and in recompense, they shall have not Egypt indeed, 
but heaven ; not " a base kingdom," but the king- 
dom of the ever blessed God. 

In the division of the Macedonian empire, pre- 
dicted in this passage (Dan. vii. 6), the descendants 
of Ptolemy, and the Seleucid^, are the most promi- 
nent and important, from their relation to the Jews, 



72 THE THIRD KINGDOM: SECOND PHASE. 

or tlie ancient church, and hence in this connection 
are deserving of a more special notice. 

Ptolemy Lagus, one of Alexander's generals, 
began the new kingdom of Egypt, B. C. 812, which, 
continued through a long line of sovereigns, until, 
B. C. 30, when A. Caesar took Alexandria, having 
the year preceding defeated Anthony at Actium. 
Thus Egypt became a Eoman province, after the 
kingdom of the Lagid^e had lasted two hundred and 
eighty-two years. 

Seleucus Nicator, another of Alexander's generals, 
began the new kingdom of Syria B. C. 812, which 
continued through a long race, or succession of 
monarchs, until 65 B. C, when Pompey dethroned 
Antiochus Asiaticus, and Syria, after the lapse of 
two hundred and forty-seven years, was annexed to 
the Eoman empire. 

As respects the condition of the ancient church, 
during the continuance of this kingdom, in its divided 
staie^ I remark, that the Jews had many privileges 
conferred upon them. They enjoyed many favors, 
during long ages, from the sovereigns of Syria and 
Egypt, under whose dominion or rule they alter- 
nately were. But they also endured many suffer- 
ings, disquietudes, fears, persecutions, wars and 
slaughter. No sooner was Alexander dead, than 
Ptolemj^ seized upon Egypt, invaded and took pos- 
session of Phoenicia, &c., but Judea refusing to 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : SECOND PHASE. T3 

yield, felt the weight of the conqueror's arm. Hav- 
ing understood that the Jews would not defend them- 
selves on the Sabbath, he stormed Jerusalem and 
took it on that day, without resistance, and carried 
above one hundred thousand captive into Egypt. 
Again, in the fifth year of his reign, Ptolemy Philo- 
pater, having defeated Antiochus the Great, made 
the tour to Jerusalem, while visiting his conquests. 
But this was unfortunate for the Jews. Being in- 
duced by a vain curiosity to enter the Holy of Ho- 
lies, on the great day of expiation, where none 
could enter but the high-priest only, and this only 
once a year, he was met and opposed by the de- 
precations and lamentations of the people. When 
he would still advance beyond the inner court^ he 
was seized with such terror and consternation, that 
he was obliged to be carried back, in a manner half 
dead, as we are informed by the history of those 
times. He recovered, however. But when he left 
the city, he vowed vengeance. Accordingly, as soon 
as he had returned to Alexandria, he deprived the 
Jews of all their rights and privileges, ordered them, 
under pain of death, to be stigmatized with a burn, 
representing an ivy leaf^ in honor of his god Bacchus, 
and excluded all persons from his presence, who 
would not sacrifice to the god he worshipped. He 
moreover commanded as many Jews as he could 
seize in Egypt, to be brought and shut up in the 
1 



74 THE THIRD KINGDOM ; SECOND THASE. 

Hippodrome, or place for horse-races, at Alexandria, 
to be destroj^ed by elephants. But the wild beasts 
turned upon those who came to witness the dreadful 
massacre. Numbers of the spectators were slain, 
and so terrified were both the king and his subjects, 
with other tokens of the divine displeasure and power, 
that Philopater immediately, not only released the 
Jews from the Hippodrome, but restored the whole na- 
tion to their privileges, reversed every decree against 
them, and even put those Jews to death, who, from 
fear of persecution, had apostatized from their reli- 
gion. God is the father of his people. He some- 
times here, alread}^, wondrously interposes in their 
behalf. They are never forgotten, and though their 
enemies have the mastery for a season, yet is their 
triumph short, and in a little while, when they (the 
Lord's chosen) shall have waited his time for his sal- 
vation, he will interpose in behalf of all his elect, 
and save them from every clime, and from among all 
people, in spite of every foe, and to the everlasting 
confusion of every adversary. 

But it was from another quarter, especially from 
the Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes, that the 
church suffered most. Being^ eno-ao-ed in a war with 
Egypt, a false report of his death was spread abroad, 
and hearing on his way to Jerusalem (whither he 
was proceeding to quell an insurrection or revolt) 
that the inhabitants of that city had made great re- 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : SECOND PHASE. 15 

joicings at his supposed death, he was so enraged, 
that having taken that place by storm, he slew forty 
thousand of the inhabitants, and sold as many more 
as slaves into the neighboring countries. He entered 
into the Holy of Holies, sacrificed a SAvine upon the 
altar of burnt offering, and caused the broth or 
liquor to be sprinkled all over the temple, and plun- 
dered it, moreover, of as much gold as amounted 
to eight thousand talents of gold. Having returned 
to Antioch, he made a most barbarous and cruel 
man, named Philip, governor of Judea, and con- 
tinued Menelaus, a still worse, in the high-priest- 
hood. Not long afterwards, he sent an sumj of 
twenty-two thousand men, under Appolonius, to put 
all the men of Jerusalem to death, and to make 
slaves of the women and children. All which was 
rigorously execu.ted on a Sabbath day, so that none 
escaped, except such as succeeded in hiding them- 
selves in caves, or reaching the mountains by flight. 
This cruelty, it is recorded, soon after pursued 
the Jews, wherever dispersed. By a general decree, 
to oblige all people in his dominions to conform to 
the religion of the king, a certain man named Athe- 
neus, a Grecian idolater, was designated to receive 
and instruct all the Jews who would turn idolaters, 
and to punish with the most cruel deaths those who 
refused. It was at this time that the temple was 
dedicated to Jupiter Olympus, the book of the law 



T6 THE THIRD KINGDOM : SECOND PHASE. 

burned, and women, accused of having their chil- 
dren circumcised, were led about the streets with 
those children tied about their necks, and then both 
together cast headlong over the steepest part of the 
wall. Many of the Jews chose rather to die than 
apostatize, as the holy zeal, and religious fortitude 
of the very aged and pious Eleazar (a chief doctor 
of the law), and of the heroic mother and her seven 
sons, testify, whom neither the instruments of death 
could terrify, nor the allurements of the tyrant per- 
suade to forfeit their hopes, or to deny the God of 
Israel, either by real or feigned conformity to the 
w^ishes of their idolatrous persecutors. 

Two circumstances especially, were instrumental 
in the hands of God, or rather he made them, and 
employed them as instruments for delivering his 
people from this great strait — this impending ruin, 
this deep calamity. First^ the zeal, the piety, the 
patriotism, the valor, and conduct of Matthias and his 
sons, who overthrew the Syrians in many great and 
bloody battles, broke down the idols and the altars of 
the heathen, and restored the temple to the worship 
of the true God. And secondly^ God delivered his 
people and church, by the death and consequent 
removal of the execrable tyrant himself. In his ex- 
pedition into Persia, hearing of the revolt and suc- 
cess of the Jews, he threatened utterly to destroy the 
whole nation, and to make Jerusalem the common 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : SECOND PHASE. YT 

place of burial for all the Jews. But Antiochus 
was in tlae hands of Him before whom kings are as 
other men, " and all the inhabitants of the earth are 
reputed as nothing." God visited him with a sudden 
and sore disease. At first he was afflicted with 
grievous torments in his bowels. He was filled with 
vermin, and the stench was so offensive and great 
that he became nauseous to himself and to all around 
him. Then his mind was grievously tormented with 
direful spectres, and apparitions of evil spirits. The 
remorse on account of his wicked life and profana- 
tions so gnawed him, that he at last acknowledged 
the justice of God in his punishment, and offered up 
many vows and promises of a full reparation, in case 
of his recovery. But God would not hear him; 
therefore, when he was half consumed with abomi- 
nable ulcers, he miserably died, under the most hor- 
rid torments of body and mind, in the twelfth year 
of his reign, and thus the church on earth had one 
persecutor less, and hell, it is to be feared, one vic- 
tim more. 

The Jews, providentially delivered from their 
most pressing and distressing calamity, with alter- 
nate wars and peace, disquietudes and repose, de- 
scended the stream of time, until the fourth universal 
empire swallowed np these kingdoms of the east — 
■until the "fourth beast, diverse from all the beasts 
that were before it, dreadful and terrible, and strong 



18 THE THIRD KINGDOM : SECOND PHASE. 

exceedingly, devoured and brake in pieces, and 
stamped the residue with the feet of it." 

The Gentiles during this, as in, or during the pre- 
ceding governments, held possession of the Jerusa- 
lem on earth. It will not be so with the Jerusalem 
above — the New Jerusalem — " the city which hath 
foundations, whose builder and maker is God,'' for 
which Abraham looked, when sojourning "in the 
land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling 
in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob." When "that 
great city, the holy Jerusalem," descends out of 
heaven from God (Eev. xxi. 10), a great voice out of 
heaven will be heard saying — "Behold the taberna- 
cle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, 
and they shall be his people, and God himself- shall 
be with them, and be their God. And God shall 
Avipe all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no 
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall 
there be any more pain, for the former things are 
passed away." (Rev. xxi. 3, 4.) No Gentile tyrant 
will Avalk amid the light of this city, exercise do- 
minion over the church, or oppress and persecute 
the children of God. These things were on earth, 
or of the present age, but tliere^ in the world to come, 
they are of those which have "passed away." 

The heathen polluted and desecrated the temple 
dedicated to the living God. But the wicked, ex- 
cluded forever, will not profane that in Avhich the 



THE THIRD KINGDOM : SECOND PHASE. '79 

general assembly and cliurcli of the first born min- 
ister, serving God day and night. During the do- 
minion of this (third) beast, they trod down the 
church, war disquieted God's people, desolations, as 
but too often before, were round about Zion. But 
as respects the people — the saints of the Most High, 
the iron rod of oppression is destined to be broken 
forever, the trumpet to sound its last call to the con- 
test, the last shout of battle to expire, and destruc- 
tions to come to a perpetual end, and the church, the 
WHOLE CHUKCH, all the saints, after the resurrection 
on the " new earth," rejoicing in the " new heaven," 
shall spend the years of the Millennium together, 
secure of an endless career of peace, of virtue, and 
of glory; for the world's great Sabbath limits not 
the enjoyment of God's saints; it is the prelibation 
only. The fuller deeper draughts from the fountain 
which issues from beneath the throne, the redeemed 
will drink, in an age beyond. But (to return from 
these visions of glory) " the times of the Gentiles" 
are not yet fulfilled. The Gentile still rules, and ere 
that day of glory dawns, of which we have spoken, 
the church may have many sorrows, the saints many 
tribulations and fiery trials. Very sure I am, that, 
long and dark as has been the night, the church's 
darkest hour has not yet arrived, but when present, it 
will be near the morning. 



CHAPTEE VI. 

THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 

We liave heretofore had occasion to observe that 
the propliet, in his vision by night, saw four great 
beasts, ''diverse" one from the other, rise successively, 
representing four successive universal monarchies. 
The first three had each something monstrous con- 
nected with them, and yet each found a representa- 
tive in nature. But the fourth was left nameless. 
This the prophet only described — " After this I saw 
in the night visious, and behold a fourth beast, 
dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and 
it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in 
pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it ; 
and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before 
it ; and it had ten horns." — Dan. vii. 7. 

What, it may be asked, is intended by the symbol 
in the passage just quoted ? We answer, confidently, 
a government or state, as in the preceding instances. 
The particular government or state intended, or signi- 
fied, is the Eoman. Xot the Eoman government of 
modern times, but of antiquity. That the and this 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 81 

Eoman government is intended, is evident from the 
fact, that this^ and no other universal monarchy, suc- 
ceeded the Macedonian, on the one hand, and on the 
other, the description given of it by the prophet, is 
applicable to this government precisely, and only. 
The prophet calls it " a fourth beast." The preced- 
ing were the lion, the bear, and the leopard, each 
representing a state, viz : the Babylonian, the Medo- 
Persian, and the Macedonian. The Eoman power 
was the fourth^ of which this beast was doubtless 
emblematic. Again, Daniel describes it as " dread- 
ful and terrible, and strong exceedingly." This lan- 
guage is indicative of fortitude, hardihood, and force, 
in all which particulars, the Eoman State was per- 
haps never equalled, certainly, I apprehend, never 
excelled. Once more, the prophet declared that this 
beast '' had great iron teeth," and that '' it devoured 
and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with 
the feet of it." Eome reduced Macedonia into a 
Eoman province about 168 B. C. — the kingdom of 
Pergamos, about 133 B. 0. Syria was reduced by 
the Eomans 65, and Egypt about 30 B. C. But, be- 
sides the remains of the Macedonian empire, it sub- 
dued many other provinces and kingdoms, so that 
the "fourth beast," or kingdom, indeed devoured the 
whole earth, trod down, and brake in pieces, and 
became in effect what Eoman writers delighted to 
call it, viz : " the empire of the whole world." This 



82 THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 

beast was, moreover, "diverse from all the beasts 
that \Yere before it." The Eoman State was governed 
in another manner — in a manner different from those 
which preceded it, and by other maxims. Its form 
of government was different, and different, also, from 
itself, at successive periods of its history. It was 
regal, and it was consular. It was governed by 
decemvirs, and by military tribunes. It was a king- 
dom, a republic, a dictatorship, and an empire. 
Again, the religion was different. The State reli- 
gion of the preceding monarchies was pagan, and so 
of this, from the founding of the city, B. C. 748, 
until the reign of Constantine the Great, A. D. 315, 
i. e.j during the period of 1,0G3 years, but theiij the 
standard of the cross was erected throu2:hout the 
empire, and the Christian banner streamed from 
Caesar's palace. The religion of the State was hence- 
forward Christian, Once more, the Eoman empire 
was diverse from all that preceded it, in greatness 
and in power, in duration, and in extent of dominion. 
It differed, also, in locality. Though the Komans 
subdued countries, states, and kingdoms, in the Uastj 
which successively belonged to Babylon, Medo-Persia, 
and Macedonia, yet their empire (the body, head, and 
horns of the beast) was in the West. Finally, "it 
had ten horns," i. e., "ten kings" (v. 24) or kingdoms, 
existing not consecutivel}^, but contemporaneously. 
These " ten horns," or kingdoms, were the Ostrogoths 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 83 

in Mesia, A. D. 377. The Yisigoths, in Pannonia, 
A. D. 878. The Sneves and Alans, in Gasgoine and 
Spain, A. D. 407. The Vandals, in Africa, A. D. 407. 
The Franks, in France, A.D. 407. The Burgundians, 
in Burgundy, A.D. 407. The Heruli and Turingi, 
in Italy, A.D. 476. The Saxons and Angles, in 
Britain, A. D. 476. The Huns, in Hungary, about 
A.D. 356, and the Lombards, first upon the Danube, 
and afterwards in Italy, A. D. 483. Thus we have 
additional proof, that the government or state in- 
tended in the passage under consideration, was the 
Eoman, for this was so divided (as here symbolized) 
into ten kingdoms. True, in the lapse of years, or 
in the progress of time, there were, occasionally, in 
respect to these kingdoms, changes in localities, in 
names, and in number, yet were they still known as 
the ten kingdoms of the Western Empire, on the 
one hand, and, on the other, these occurrences and 
changes of after times, need not obscure our subject, 
for, guided by prophecy, we hnoiu that the ten king- 
doms intended were \hQ first ten, before " there came 
up among them another little horn, before whom 
there were three of the first horns plucked up by the 
roots." 

All the four governments, symbolized by beasts 
in this chapter, or, perhaps, we should rather say, all 
these four beasts, are yet in existence. The nations 
of Chaldea and Assyria, are still the first ; those of 



84 THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 

Media and Persia, tlie second; Macedonia, Greece, 
Thrace, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt, the third ; and 
the nations of Western Europe, the fourth. The 
dominion of the first three has been taken away, but 
not so the fourth, which, in its papal phase, still 
exerts a wide-spread and powerful influence in almost 
every land, not excepting free, protestant England, 
or protestant America, still more free. 

Most interesting and incalculably important facts 
or events for the church and the world, transpired 
under this government, in its pagan phase. The 
succession of those great monarchies which we have 
been considering, lead gradually to that fulness of 
time; that maturity of the divine counsel which 
suited the introduction of Christianity. They arose 
one after the other. The}^ enlarged one upon the 
other, until, by the permission of Heaven, Eome 
triumphed over, and swallowed up all, and expanded, 
opened, united, and consolidated that wide-extended, 
well-informed, and civilized empire, through w^hich 
the gospel of Christ was destined to make a progress 
so rapid, and wonderfully successful. " To prepare 
the way of the Lord," throne was shaken after throne, 
and empire swallowed up empire. Alexander, in 
his fury, ran eastward with his all-conquering arms. 
Caesar, impelled by his passion to rule, enlarged him- 
self westward. Augustus, having given peace to a 
troubled, agitated world, shut the bloody portal of 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 85 

Janus. These all, as they imagined, took their own 
way, but, in the end, as with many others, each is 
seen to have been the unconscious agent of the 
purposes of God. 

In the former days of this ^'fourth beast," ^. 6., 
under pagan Eome, Christ was born; "the first 
among many brethren," — " the heir of all things," — 
"the prince of the kings of the earth." Toward 
this eventful hour, it has well been remarked by 
another, time, from the first dawn of light, began to 
flow in one rising, swelling tide ; here it came to its 
fulness, and hence it began to bend its awful course 
to lose itself in eternity again. In the advent of 
this wonderful personage, all the children of men 
who lived before, or who arose after it, have a seri- 
ous, an everlasting concern. Is it any wonder, then, 
that by so many signs in heaven, and signs on earth, 
that by the tongues of prophets, the decrees of prin- 
ces, the revolution of empires, the descent of angels, 
the finger of God should have pointed it out to 
mankind ? The angel Gabriel was sent from God 
unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin, 
of the house or lineage of David indeed, but indi- 
gent in circumstances, announcing to her that she 
should be the mother of Jesus, who should be great, 
and called the Son of the Highest, and to whom the 
Lord God would give the throne of his father 
David ; — that he should reign over the house of 



86 THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 

Jacob forever, and that of his kingdom there should 
be no end. Mary having gone np from Galilee 
into Judea, unto Bethlehem, the city of David (in 
consequence of, and in obedience to the decree of 
Ciesar Augustus, for all the world to be taxed), 
there, in a stable, gave birth to Him, who from, or 
out of the manger, ruled the worlds, and who, 
though in his mother's arms, filled heaven and earth 
with his presence. 

Under this government also, life and immortality 
were brought to light by Him, the great Prophet 
and teacher, whose advent we have noted. He fully 
and clearly proclaimed the great and momentously 
interesting doctrines concerning a future state, as e. g, 
the separate existence of the soul, after the dissolu- 
tion of the body — the resurrection of the dead, 
both of the just and of the unjust — the last Judg- 
ment — the destruction of the finally impenitent, and 
the eternal blessedness of the children of God. Con- 
cerning some of these sublime and important sub- 
jects, the nations formed lame conjectures only, and 
of others, they literally knew just nothing at all. 
The scriptures of the Old Testament even, though 
really, in substance, containing these doctrines, yet 
gave of them but a twilight view. Christ, and Christ 
alone, clearly exhibited, demonstrated or proved 
them. For a certain or sure knowledge of things 
beyond the boundaries of time, and the grave, the 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 8T 

world is indebted to Jesus Christ. He spake as no 
man ever spake, his enemies being witnesses. Ho 
taught as none other could teach. His words were 
light, effectually dispelling all darkness, or ignorance 
and blindness of mind, giving assurance that all 
those wlio believe on him shall never die; that all 
those whom faitk and affection make one with him- 
self, shall live forever. He was greater than Jonah. 
He was greater than Moses. He was wiser than 
Solomon. The wisest of men was only as a teacher, 
a great querist, a teacher of negatives. Jesus could 
tell what things were. The wise king shook his 
head, and told what happiness is not. Jesus opened 
his lips, and enunciated what it is. Solomon said, 
" Knowledge is vanity ; power is vanity ; mirth is 
vanity ; man and all his pursuits are perfect vanity." 
Jesus said, " Humility is blessedness ; meekness is 
blessedness; purity of heart is blessedness; God is 
blessed forevermore, and most blessed is the creature 
that is likest to Grod ; holiness is happiness." '' We 
labor and find no rest," said Solomon. Jesus an- 
swered, " Come unto me all ye that labor, and I will 
give you rest." " All is vanity, sighed the preacher." 
"In the world ye shall have tribulation, but in me 
ye shall have peace," replied the Saviour. " What is 
truth?" asks Ecclesiastes. ^'I am the truth," returns 
the Divine Evangelist. Solomon was tall enough to 
scan most of earth, and see an expanse of sorrow; 



88 THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 

the Son of Man knew all that is in heaven, and 
could tell of a Comforter who fills with peace un- 
speakable the soul immersed in outward misery. 
Solomon could tell that the gate of bliss is closed 
against human effort. Jesus has the key of David, 
and opens what Adam shut ; and into the Father's 
propitious presence he undertakes to usher all who 
come through him. Solomon composed earth's 
epitaph, and on the tomb of the species wrote, " All 
is Vanity." Accustomed to date men's history from 
their death, Jesus substituted, "All is Heaven or Hell." 
Jesus, though the great Teacher, yet have his doc- 
trines no congeniality to the world, and hence the 
opposition to them, both secret and open, the most 
powerful, fierce and unrelenting. But in spite of all, 
the Gospel has steadily progressed, in its great and 
beneficent mission, comforting the disconsolate, dis- 
enthralling the slave of sin, and making the poor in 
spirit unspeakably rich. Its banner has been borne 
from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Its jubi- 
lee tones have been heard from Mount Zion, and 
from the mountains of Israel to the valley of the 
Nile, to the Alps, and over the sea. The fruit of the 
vine of many lands has been pressed into its sacra- 
mental cup. Water from the springs, and rivulets, 
and rivers of all continents, has filled its baptismal 
fonts, and though the glory of many cities, states, 
and mighty kingdoms, has departed, the sun of the 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 89 

gospel has never set; and though the Levitical priest- 
hood have left the altar, our great High Priest lives 
forever, and maketh intercession for us. The gospel 
canyiot fail of accomplishing its mission. The church 
of Christ must stand forever. Jesus is with his 
church, as king. Jesus is in his church, as priest. 
His death is her life. His life is her strength, and 
her hope — the pledge of her security, the earnest of 
her perpetuity and glory. 

Once more, in the time of this " fourth beast," or 
power, the Saviour, Christ the Lord, was crucified, 
and by its sanction and authority. The sceptre had 
now departed from Judah. The supreme, authority 
rested in the hands of the Eomans. Eoman armies 
swayed the land; Eoman soldiers overawed the 
people; Eoman sentinels were standing at every 
corner, and Eoman tax-gatherers in every city, town, 
and village. The glory of independence had departed 
from the land of Israel. At the insti2:ation of their 
wicked rulers, the populace might indeed cry, and 
did cry ^ "Away with this man," "Crucify him, crucify 
him," but rulers and people might not put him to 
death without the consent or permission of Pilate, 
the Eoman procurator, which he finally gave, though 
not without extreme rekictance, and repeated protes- 
tations of the innocence of Jesus Christ. All this is 
remarkable, when we consider the selfish and un- 
principled character of Pilate. But he was unques- 

8* 



90 THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 

tionably swayed by the overriiling providence of 
God, for though condemned and executed as a male- 
factor, it was the Divine purpose to make the right- 
eousness and perfect innocence of Jesus clearly 
appear, by the fullest, the most authentic, and the 
most public evidence, (a) By the testimony of his 
judges, Pilate and Herod. After an examination of 
the evidence, Pilate said " to the chief priests and to 
the people, I find no fault in this man." And again, 
" when he had called together the chief priests, and the 
rulers, and the people," he " said unto them. Ye have 
brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the 
people ; and, behold, I having examined him before 
you, have found no fault in this man touching those 
things whereof ye accuse him ; no, nor yet Herod : for 
I sent you to him ; and lo, nothing worthy of death 
is done unto him. And he said unto them the third 
time," when the people were clamorous for liis death, 
" Why ? what evil hath he done ? I have found no 
cause of death in him." Luke xxiii. (h) By the 
message of the procurator's wife, delivered to him on 
the tribunal. " When he was spt down on the judg- 
ment-seat, his wife sent unto him, saying. Have no- 
thing to do with that just man; for I have suffered 
many things this day in a dream because of him." 
Matt, xxvii. 19. (c) By the testimony of the traitor 
Judas. ^^Then Judas, which had betrayed him, 
when he saw that he was condemned, repented him- 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 91 

self, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to 
the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned, in 
that I have betrayed innocent blood," and in despair 
for, or on account of his enormous crime, he went and 
hanged himself. Matt, xxvii. {d) By the testimony 
of the centurion, and those that were with him watch- 
ing Jesus at the crucifixion. When they "saw the 
earthquake and those things that were done, they 
feared greatly, saying, truly this was the Son of God." 
Matt, xxvii. 54. (e) By the testimony of the peni- 
tent and believing malefactor, who was crucified with 
him. " And one of the malefactors which were hanged, 
railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself 
and us. But the other answering, rebuked him, say- 
ing, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the 
same condemnation ? And we indeed justly ; for we 
receive the due reward of our deeds : but this man 
hath done nothing amiss." Luke xxiii. 39, 40, 41. 
Perfectly innocent as he was, the Jews denied the 
Holy One and the Just, and being delivered by the 
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, they 
took, and by wicked hands crucified and slew the 
Prince of Life. But the just in suffering and dying, 
suffered and died for the unjust. He bore the sins 
of many. Our iniquities were laid on him. He was 
made to be sin for us, who knew no sin ; that we 
might be made the righteousness of God in him. 
And now, to transgressors are offered white robes and 



92 THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 

a golden harp. Apostates are invited to the fellow- 
ship of angels, and as many as believe on Jesus, will 
be gathered into the heavenly Zion, be citizens of 
the New Jerusalem, whose streets are gold, whose 
gates are pearls ; in the midst of which is the throne 
of Grod and the Lamb, from whence proceeds and 
flows forever, the river of life and of pleasures, the 
full fountain of Avhich is Jehovah himself — " an ocean 
which Gabriel's line cannot fathom, and athwart 
which the archano'el's wini^ cannot traverse." 

O O 

Jesus having dismissed his spirit, Joseph of Ari- 
mathea, a rich m.an, and a disciple also, begged his 
body of Pilate — wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 
and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn 
out of the rock, and rolled a great stone to the door 
of the sepulchre. At the solicitation of the chief 
priests and Pharisees, a band of the followers of the 
Eoman eagles was detailed to watch at the grave. 
But the conquerors of the world shook and became 
as dead men, for fear of the angel who descended 
from heaven, and rolled back the stone from the 
mouth of the sepulchre, when He who is the resur- 
rection and the life, triumphantly arose from the 
dead, on the morning of the third day. After this 
he showed himself alive to his disciples, by many 
infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days and 
speaking to them of the things pertaining to the 
kingdom of God. Then he was taken up. He as- 



THE FOURTH KINGDOM. 93 

cended to heaven. Clouds were his cliariot, who in 
the days of his humiliation rode but once^ and then 
on a borrowed colt, when the multitude of the dis- 
ciples rejoiced and praised God with a loud voice, 
for all the mighty works which they had seen ; — 
''saying, blessed be the King that cometh in the 
name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the 
highest." Luke xix. 38. After his ascension, his 
disciples, as directed, returned to Jerusalem, and 
there abode until the day of Pentecost, when the 
Holy Ghost was poured out upon them, and they 
began to preach Jesus — repentance, and the remis- 
sion of sin through his blood, and men from all parts 
of the Roman world, heard them speak in their own 
tongues, the wonderful works of God. Thousands 
believed and were baptized. The first Christian con- 
gregation was formed at Jerusalem, where this be- 
ginning was to have been made, and from whence 
the light of the glorious gospel was first to shine and 
spread — fill Palestine — the Eoman empire — the world. 
The New Testament church was established in the 
days of this "fourth beast." The promise of Jehovah 
to Abraham began now (that most of the nations of 
the known world were subdued, and held together 
in one, by this "dreadful and terrible," and exceed- 
ingly strong power) to be signally fulfilled, " and in 
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Gen. 
xii. 3. 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE ki:n'gdom of the ^^little horn." 



*'I considered the horns, and, behold, there came 
up among them another, little horn, before whom 
there were three of tlie first horns plucked up by 
the roots:" v. 8. Though the fourth "king," or 
kingdom, or the Roman power subdued those 
countries in the east, which successively constituted 
the three preceding monarchies, 3^et this empire 
strictly speaking was, as remarked before, in the 
west. It is then to the icest^ as respects the relative 
geographical position of these "four kings," repre- 
sented by these " great beasts," that we must, in this 
instance, direct our ej^e. The western Roman em- 
pire, as it is called, fell A. D. 476, and ten kingdoms, 
as we have seen, arose out of this, and existed sim- 
ultaneously. About one thousand years prior to 
these occurrences, Daniel the prophet, lying upon 
his bed in Babylon, in a vision by night, saw it all, 
and whilst he was considering — looking at, contem- 
plating the ten horns, " behold there came up among 
them another little horn, before whom, there were 



THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 95 

three of the first horns plucked up by the roots," 
which especially arrested his attention. Our prophet, 
as was natural, desired to know the truth of all this 
vision. Hear him : " I came near unto one of them 
that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. 
So he told me, and made me know the interpreta- 
tion of tlie things." v. 16. He was, however, par- 
ticularly interested in the " fourth beast." " Then I 
would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was 
diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, 
whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass ; 
which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the 
residue with his feet." v. 19. But his greatest con- 
cern, was with the ^^ten horns," "and of the other 
which came up, and before whom three fell ; even 
that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake 
very great things, whose look ivas more stout than 
his fellows." V. 20. This "other," or the "little 
horn" (v. 8.) which interested the prophet so much, 
is the subject of our present inquiry. 

What is intended, or signified by the symbol of a 
"little horn" in this passage, viz: v. 8? The thing 
signified, is a king or kingdom, just as the "ten 
horns" signify ten kings, or kingdoms. "And the 
ten horns out of this (fourth) kingdom are ten kings 
that shall arise: and another shall arise after them ; 
and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall sub- 
due three kings." v. 24. We have had no difficulty in 



96 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 

ascertaining the governments in all the preceding 
instances, nor shall we, I apprehend, in this, espe 
cially, as all its features are so prominent, its cha 
racteristics so peculiar, and all so minutely set forth 
in the sacred record. But inasmuch as this is the 
worst, most abominable, tyrannical, wicked and 
scandalous government, in all this succession, we 
should perhaps feel an unwillingness, a hesitancy to 
fix it anywhere. That injustice may happen to no 
one, let us consider what is the sum of Avhat is said 
concerning this particular kingdom, in this chapter 
and elsewhere. In so doing we may, I imagine, best 
ascertain what particular power is intended. 

(a) It is called a ^' little horn," v. 8, i. e., not a 
large or universal monarchy, embracing a vast ex- 
tent of country, or the whole, or nearly the whole of 
the known world, as some of the preceding; but 
only a small kingdom, of narrow limits, or very cir- 
cumscribed territory, as e. ^., the Popedom, or the 
kingdoms of Wurtemberg, Bavaria, Sardinia, or Na- 
ples, &c. Perhaps it is the Papal power which is 
here intended or signified. Let us, however, not be 
in haste, for without due consideration, and suffi- 
cient evidence, we should not fix upon the locality 
of this infamously blasphemous government. The 
diminutiveness of this kingdom would suit the 
Popedom, i, e., the territory constituting the Papal 
state. But let us proceed, (l) Before this "little 



THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 9t 

horn," " three of the first horns were plucked up by 
the roots." The Lombards, the Vandals and the 
Ostrogoths, troublesome neighbors to the pope, were, 
as the page of history informs us, so plucked up. 
The imperial general, Belisarius, overthrew the Os- 
trogoths in Eome, A. D. 538, and being recalled 
with his army, the Bishop was, I apprehend, left 
supreme in the ancient capital. 

The supremacy of the Pope was complete as early 
as A. D. 533, the same year that the Institutes of 
Justinian were published (Keith). The Greeks 
having driven the Arian Ostrogoths out of Eome, 
A. D. 538, the emperor's decree in favor of the 
Bishop of Eome could then go into effect. The 
evidence is accumulating that the Popedom is sig- 
nified by the symbol employed in the passage under 
consideration, (c) " In this horn were eyes like the 
eyes of a man." This language imports cunning and 
superintendence. The Pope calls himself Overseer 
of overseers, Episcopus episcoporum. It also denotes 
the policy, sagacity, and watchfulness by which this 
power would spy out occasions or opportunities for 
extending and establishing its interests and preten- 
sions. The court of Eome-papal has been remark- 
able in this particular, above all the courts, states, 
kingdoms and governments in the world, {d) In 
this horn, also, "was a mouth speaking great 
things." In verse 20, it is said, " and a mouth that 
9 



98 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 

spake very great things," and in verse 25, ^^ great 
words a2:ainst the Most Hio-h." Tins crovernment 
was to be arrogant in its claims, blasphemous in its 
titles, and uttering great swelling words of vanity. 
Can we discover anything similar or like to this, 
among all the governments of which history gives 
us any knowledge? The style of "His Holiness," 
"Our Lord God the Pope," "Another God on earth," 
and the claim of infallibility, and of a power to dis- 
pense with God's laws, to forgive sins, and to sell 
admission into heaven, may serve as specimens of 
the great things which this mouth has spoken. 
" Thou art our shepherd, our physician, in short a 
second God upon earth," was the language addressed 
by a Venetian prelate to the Pope, in the fourth 
session of the Lateran. Another bishop, also at one 
of the sessions of the Lateran, called the Pope " the 
lion of the tribe of Judah, the promised Saviour." 
Lord Anthony Pucci, in the fifth Lateran, said to the 
Pope, "the sight of thy divine majesty does not a 
little terrify me, for I am not ignorant that all power, 
both in heaven and in earth, is given unto you ; that 
prophetic saying is fulfilled in jou.^ " All the kings 
of the earth shall worship him, and all the nations 
shall serve him." " The Pope, who is called God by 
Constantino," said Pope Nicholas to the Emperor 
Michael, "can never be bound or released by man, 
for God cannot be judged by man." Is not this 



THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 99 

blasphemy ? and does not the Pope answer the pro- 
phetic description given in this chapter (7), concern- 
ing the "little horn?" Again, under this head it 
has been justly remarked, in reference to the popes 
of Eome, that they have assumed infallibility, which 
belongs only to God. They profess to forgive sins, 
which belongs only to God. They profess to open 
and shut heaven, which belongs only to God. They 
profess to be higher than all the kings of the earth, 
which belongs also to God. They have gone such 
lengths in their pretensions, as to release whole 
nations from their oath of allegiance to their rulers, 
when such rulers did not please them. And they 
go against God when they give indulgences for sin. 
This is indeed speaking ^^ great words against the 
Most High," and is the worst of all blasphemies. 
They have proclaimed, by their agents, that in- 
dulgences are the most precious and sublime of 
God's gifts. They have offered letters duly sealed, 
by which the sins even which purchasers should 
afterwards commit, should be forgiven. The noto- 
rious Tetzel declared that he would not exchange 
his privileges for those of St. Peter in heaven, 
because he had saved more souls by his indulgences^ 
than did the apostle by his sermons ; that no sin is 
so great that the indulgences cannot remit it, only 
let a man pay largely, and it shall be forgiven him. 
Moreover, this servile and unprincipled instrument 
or agent of the Papacy asserted that repentance was 



100 



THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 



not indispensable : that indulgences saved not the 
living alone, but also the dead ; that the souls con- 
fined in purgatory (for whose redemption indulgences 
are purchased) escape from that place of torment and 
ascend into heaven, the instant the money tinkles in 
the chest. According to a book called the " Tax of 
the Sacred Eoman Chancery," in which are con- 
tained the exact sums to be levied for the pardon of 
each particular sin, we find some of the fees to be 
stated thus : — 



For procuring abortion .... 

For simony ...... 

For sacrilege ...... 

For taking a false oatli in a criminal case 

For robbing . • . 

For burning a neighbor's house 

For defiling a virgin .... 

For lying with a mother, sister, &c. 

For murdering a layman 

For keeping a concubine 

For laying violent hands on a clergyman 



s. d, 

7 6 

10 6 

10 6 

9 

12 

12 

9 

7 6 

7 6 

10 6 

10 6 



(e) The look of this horn "was more stout than 
that of his fellows." The Eoman court and pontiff 
for many ages domineered over those kingdoms, in- 
tended by the " ten horns," in the most audacious 
manner. They levied taxes on them. They deposed 
their kings, and disposed of their dominions, absolv- 
ing their subjects from their oath of allegiance, and 



THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 101 

exciting them to rebellion and insurrection. They 
claimed the supremacy in all causes, and so trampled 
on the greatest monarchs, as was never done by any 
other power. We have an example of this in the 
history and person of Henry lY., Emperor of Ger- 
many, who passed the Alps, amid the rigors of a 
severe winter, and arrived in February, A. D. 1077, 
at the fortress of Canusium^ the residence at that 
time of Gregory VII. ; and here the suppliant prince 
stood during three days, in the open air, at the en- 
trance of this fortress, with his feet bare, and his 
head uncovered, and with no other raiment than a 
wretched piece of coarse woollen cloth, thrown over 
his body, to cover his nakedness. On the fourth day 
only, was he admitted into the presence of the lordly 
pontiff* who, with difficulty, granted him the absolu- 
tion which he demanded. Thus, though the Pope- 
dom is, and was, only a diminutive kingdom, yet all 
the rest were terribly oppressed, and lorded over, 
during all the years of power of that horn, " that 
had eyes and a mouth," and looks stouter " than his 
fellows." 

Thaugh we have not as yet finished our consider- 
ations of, and remarks upon what is said concerning 
the particular government symbolized by the " little 
horn," for the purpose of ascertaining what king- 
dom is intended, or signified, I observe, that it must 
already be manifest that it is the Papal^ and can be 

9* 



102 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 

no other power. However unAvilling we might be, 
to this conclusion we must come. Thank God, how- 
ever protracted, or long its duration, like every other 
system of iniquity, it will have a termination. Not 
of God's planting, it must be plucked up. In the 
Lord's good time, the angel, whose glory will lighten 
the earth, will come down from heaven, having great 
power, and crying " mightily with a strong voice, say- 
ing, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen," and though 
*^ the kings of the earth who have committed forni- 
cation, and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail 
her, and lament for her, when they shall see the 
smoke of her burning," yet the heavens will rejoice 
over her, and the holy apostles and prophets will re- 
joice, when God shall avenge them on her, in whom 
" was found the blood of the prophets, and of saints, 
and of all that were slain upon the earth." Yes, the 
mystic Babylon's doom is determined. The call to 
the upright within her, now is, come out from her, 
and be separate. As many as heed the gracious 
call will escape her judgments, but the rest must 
perish, — pope, cardinals, &;c., priests and church be 
overwhelmed in destruction, and in the language of 
another, "we shall have no tears to weep over the 
spectacle ; we shall not grieve at it. If any one 
should be so sensitive as to feel an emotion of pity 
or regret, all his recollections will rush back to 
Smithfield, and to the Sicilian Vespers, and to St. 



THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 1 03 

Bartliolomew's day, and to all tlie slaughters wliicli 
have been perpetrated in the name of Christ by the 
Yicar of Christ ; and charged with indignation, these 
sympathies and sensibilities will return again to the 
scene of judgment, and in common with the angels 
and the choirs that are in heaven, he will say, '' Sal- 
vation, and glorj^, and honor be unto the Lord our 
God, for he hath judged the great whore, and hath 
avenged the blood of his servants :" and again he 
will say. Hallelujah ! and her smoke will rise up for 
ever and ever. Till that system be consumed, man 
will not come to himself; and God will not receive all 
his glory. Let us pray, like the martyrs and the 
saints of old, for its destruction ; let us pray also for 
that bright and glorious advent, in the midst of 
which it shall be destroyed. " Come, Lord Jesus ; 
come quickly." " Amen." 

Having already sufficiently demonstrated what 
power is intended by the symbol under considera- 
tion, in particularizing several characteristics of the 
" little horn," we might rest the matter here. But 
as there are several other specifications, by our 
prophet, we proceed: (/) *' And he shall be diverse 
from the first." (v. 24.) Of the four universal mon- 
archies, the fourth was, according to Daniers vision 
(v. 7), to differ "from all the beasts that were before 
it." I have heretofore shown that it did differ, and 
how it differed. The "little horn" was also to be di- 



104 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 

verse from the " ten horns" (v. 24), three of which 
were to be subdued, or plucked up, to make way 
for this. He was "diverse from the first." This 
government was more circumspect, politic, sagacious, 
and watchful, than they. It was more vain-glori- 
ous, arrogant, domineering and audacious, than the 
powers represented by the "ten horns." History 
records nothing similar, certainly nothing equal to 
it. The monstrous power of the church and Bishop, 
or Pope of Eome, has been different from every 
other species of tyranny in the world. This power 
is altogether singular in the earth, and a contradiction 
also, called Clirisiian^ and yet persecuting Christ, in 
his poor and inoffensive followers. Called Christian, 
after the meek and lowly Saviour, yet proud, arro- 
gant, and "decked with gold and precious stones and 
pearls," and "arrayed in purple and scarlet." Called 
Christian, and yet the Papacy is reeking with Chris- 
tian blood — with the blood of (it is supposed) not 
less than fifty millions of the followers of Christ — 
with the "blood of the saints," and " the martyrs of 
Jesus," whose souls John saw under the altar, and 
who "cried with a loud voice saying, how long, O 
Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge 
our blood on them that dwell on the earth," Eev. vi. 
9, 10. Every hill of the papal world, has streamed 
with innocent Christian blood, every valley drank 
up the crimson tide ; every city, town and village 



THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 105 

strewn with the expectants of the better resurrec- 
tion; every mountain, glen, and cave, and hidiDg- 
place witnessed the disciples' slaughter. Popery, 
through long and dark ages, and centuries, made 
earth an aceldama for the people of the Most High 
— a very vale of weeping to the saints, {g) And he 
shall " think to change time and laws," v. 25, This 
prediction has its illustration and fulfilment in the 
fasts and feasts ; the canonizing of persons, whom 
this government chooses to call saints ; the granting 
of pardons and indulgences for sins ; the instituting 
of new modes of worship, utterly unknown to the 
Christian church ; new articles of faith ; new rules 
of practice, and the reversing at pleasure, the laws 
both of God and man, which we meet with in the 
history of Popery. For a king whose power is su- 
preme, to change the laws of his own dominions, as 
to secular affairs, would not be strange; and no 
change, in some instances, greatly for the worse, 
could be made in the religious laws and customs of 
idolatrous or pagan nations; but that the "little 
horn" should presume to change laws, the laws of 
God too, and this, not only throughout his own pecu- 
liar territories, but in those of other kings also, was 
strange indeed, and no wonder that the prophet was 
interested in knowing '^ the truth" of this power. 
This, viz: the papal power has arrogated to itself 
the prerogative of making times holy and unholy, 



106 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 

contrary to the word of God. It has commanded 
men everywhere, at certain times and seasons, to ab- 
stain from work and from meat, and forbid certain 
persons to marry or to be given in marriage, con- 
trary to the word of God, and when God requires 
no such thing. It has multiplied holy days, until 
scarcely four, of the six working days, have been 
left for man to labor, contrary to the express Avord 
and law of God, " six days shalt thou labor." It has 
licensed intemperance, and excess on its festivals 
and carnivals, and authorized licentious diversions, 
on the Lord's holy day, contrary to the word and 
law of God, "Eemember the Sabbath day to keep it 
holy." (Ji) "And the same horn made war with the 
saints, and prevailed against them," v. 21. The 
persons intended by the term scants^ are holy ones, 
i, e. people wholly consecrated to God. Under the 
old covenant, those were truly saints, who were 
Israelites indeed^ and not merely by natural descent ; 
and under the Xew Testament dispensation, the very 
same description of persons morally^ are, without re- 
spect to extraction, entitled to this honorable dis- 
tinction, viz: all those who have Abraham's faith, 
^. e., all true Christians. The persecutions, massacres, 
and religious wars, excited by the church and Bishop, 
or Pope of Rome, have occasioned the shedding of 
far more blood of the saints of the Most High, than 
all the enmity, hostility and persecutions of pro- 



THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE UOUN. lOt 

fessed heatlien, from the foundation of the world. 
From the time of the alliance, or the union of 
church and state, under Constantino the Great, there 
were always those who did not consent to the cor- 
ruptions of a corrupt establishment. These people 
were known throughout various ages, in different 
countries, by different names, as e. g.^ Cathari, Nova- 
tians, Donatists, Luciferians, Dorians, Paulicians, 
Bougres or Bulgarians, Tisserands or weavers and 
good men, Gazari, Paterines, Josephists, Arnoldists 
and Fratricelli. The name, however, by which they 
are perhaps best known, is that of Waldenses. They 
continued from the days of Oonstantine down to 
the Eeformation, when some of these people united 
with the Lutherans, others with the Calvinists, and 
others, still, with the Anabaptists of the better sort, 
afterwards called Mennonites, and there are still left 
in our day, about twenty thousand of this interest- 
ing people. When popery was in its highest glorj'-, 
and the deepest midnight hung over the nations, 
these people were distinguished, throughout their 
generations, by their attachment to the Sacred Scrip- 
tures — by their scriptural simplicity and soundness 
of belief — by their purity and excellence of man- 
ners — by their enlightened fervor, courage, and 
zeal — by their steady opposition to all corruptions, 
and anti-Christian usurpations — by their enlightened 
views of liberty of conscience, and by their just 



108 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 

ideas of the nature and character of a Church of 
Christ. 

The "little horn" "made war" with these pious 
people who were not in communion with Eome, 
" and prevailed against them/' subjecting them, 
throughout many centuries, to a most cruel and 
unrelenting persecution. In the thirteenth century, 
the Pope instituted a crusade against them, and they 
were pursued with a fury perfectly diabolical. In 
the seventeenth century, the flames of persecution 
were rekindled, and on the revocation of the edict of 
Nantes, about fifteen thousand perished in the prisons 
of Pignerol, besides great numbers who perished in 
the mountains. In the eighteenth century, even, the 
old persecuting edicts were revived or renewed, and 
though not subjected to fire and fagot, as in former 
times, yet was their worship restrained, and they 
were not only stripped of all employment, but, by a 
most providential circumstance, saved from a general 
massacre. 

The " little horn" " made war with the saints, and 
prevailed against them," and they were worn out by 
this persecuting power (verses 21 and 25), as is 
abundantly illustrated in the conduct of the Papal 
government, in reference to the people under con- 
sideration. At one time the minions of the Pope 
apprehended such numbers of them, that they could 
not find lime and stone sufficient to build prisons 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 109 

for tliem. At another, tliey attacked tliem suddenly 
witli troops, plundered their houses, murdered many, 
and drove others into the Alps, where, it being mid- 
winter, they were frozen to death. At another time 
still, they hunted them in the mountains, cast them 
down from precipices, and suffocated them in caverns, 
whither they had fled for refuge. Albert de Cap- 
taneis, the agent of Pope Innocent VIII., assisted by 
a body of troops, in searching the caves A. D. 1488 
(in which persecution three thousand perished), found 
four hundred infants smothered in their cradles, or 
on their mothers' arms ! The mothers in Bethlehem 
wept over their butchered babes, and might wrap 
them in fine linen, and follow them to the grave, 
and lay them there and adjust their icy limbs, and 
sit down and weep, and each returning season plant 
flowers on their lowly beds, and water them with 
their tears ; but here the infant, if buried at all, was 
buried by strangers' hands. If tears were shed, they 
fell from strangers' eyes. Here no mother was left 
to weep. Mother and bahe^ victims both to the bloody 
genius of Rome^ slept the same long sleep together. 
Herod murdered the child, but spared the motheh 
Eome murdered both. When Herod died, he went 
down to the grave with, infamy, and earth had one 
murderer, one persecutor less, and hell one victim 
more. Eome, what will not be thy hell, and that 
of thy votaries, when thy judgment shall have come! 
10 



110 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

thou master- work of Satan, thou persecutor of Christ 
in his saintSj thou full of cruelty, and fornication, 
and theft, and murder! Again, on a different occa- 
sion, the papists murdered the men, cut off the 
breasts of women, and left their infants to famish ; 
proclaiming that none should give any manner of 
assistance to the Waldenses. Thus the "little horn" 
made war on these saints, throughout their genera- 
tions, and sometimes the malice of this government, 
against the people of the Most High, unappeased by 
the horrors it inflicted on the living, even desecrated 
the grave, and exhumed and burnt the bones of 
those who had long and peacefully slumbered there. 
Verily, when the arch enemy Satan perceived that 
the grievous persecutions availed nothing, which he 
excited against the church of Christ, through the 
medium of the "fourth beast," or pagan imperial 
Eome, yea that the emperors themselves at last 
became obedient to the faith, he resolved to turn 
Christian himself, and set up for Christ's deputy on 
earth in the form of a pope, and all this, to fight 
against Christianity under Christ's banner, by adul- 
terating or corrupting the doctrines of Christ, and 
thus rendering them inefficacious; and by intro- 
ducing his old heathen rites and idol ceremonies as 
unwritten traditions from Christ and his apostles, 
and thus, under the hallowed name of Christ, and 
professedly by his authority, to exercise all the 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. Ill 

cruelty, oppression, and fraud which is so pleasing 
to his (Satan's) infernal nature ; hoping to burn, root 
out, pluck up and destroy all true Christians, and all 
true Christianity, from the face of the earth, under 
color of propagating the Catholic faith, and enlarging 
the church of the Eedeemer in the world. If ever 
hell wept, it was at the dethronement of Paganism, 
Satan's grand instrument for evil, in the early ages 
of Christianity. If ever hell rejoiced, held jubilee^ it 
was when Satan found an ample compensation for 
his loss in his chef d^oeuvre^ viz : Popery, the great 
Anti-Christian apostasy. 

Pagan imperial Eome terribly persecuted the pri- 
mitive church. History usually reckons ten general 
persecutions, which have been thus stated : The first 
under Nero, from A. D. 64 to 68. The second under 
Domitian, from A. D. 95 to 96. The third under 
Trajan, from A. D. 97 to 116. The fourth under 
Antoninus Pius, from A. D. 136 to 156. The fifth 
under Severus, from A. D. 199 to 211. The sixth 
under Maximinus, A. D. 235. The seventh under 
Decius, from A. D. 249 to 251. The eight under 
Valerian, from A. D. 257 to 260. The ninth under 
Aurelian, from A. D. 273 to 275. The tenth under 
Dioclesian, from A. D. 302 to 312.- Others reckon 
them somewhat differently, and certainly there are in 
this reckoning .some omissions, for the Christians 
were also persecuted, under the emperors Adrian 



112 

and Marcus Aurelius. Indeed, during the space of 
two hundred and sixtj^ years, from the crucifixion of 
the Saviour, they had but short intervals of repose 
from persecution ; for, when the chiefs of the empire 
themselves were not sanguinary, there generally were 
inferior magistrates who, under some pretext or 
other, harassed the poor disciples of Jesus. It is 
supposed that three millions of Christians perished in 
the first three centuries, and yet, it is said, that the 
primitive Christians prayed for the continuance of 
this government, viz : the imperial Eoman. They 
did this, not only because the followers of the Ee- 
deemer are to make prayer and supplication for all 
men ; " for kings, and for all that are in authority," 
that they '* may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all 
godliness and honestj^,'' but also because (it is related) 
they knew that Avhen imperial Eome, i. e., the fourth 
universal monarchy terminated, another, and a far 
worse persecuting power would arise. This, it is 
said, they learned from the second chapter of St. 
Paul's second epistle to the Thessalonians, wherein 
the apostle admonished them not to be "soon shaken 
in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit nor by 
word, nor by letter as from us," i, e., from the apostle, 
" as that the day of Christ is at hand," v. 2. It Avould 
seem then that they had fallen or were in danger of 
falling into the error that the day of Judgment was 
then very near. The apostle assures them, v. 3 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. ' 113 

that before the coming of that day, there should be a 
falling away first, and that the " man of sin," the 
*'son of perdition," would be revealed, "who op- 
poseth, and exalteth himself, above all that is called 
God, or that is worshipped, so that he, as God, sitteth 
in the temple of God, showing himself that he is 
God," V. 4. The apostle then, in v. 6, uses these 
remarkable words: "Now ye know what with- 
holdeth that he might be revealed in his time." 
That which withheld, or hindered the revelation, or 
the manifestation of the " man of sin," was the Eoman 
empire. Whilst the Eoman emperors held Eome, 
and exercised imperial authority there, Eome mani- 
festly could not be the seat of Anti-Christ, or of the 
apocalyptic beast, signified in the passage more 
immediately under consideration, by the "little 
horn." When the Eoman empire was destroyed or 
taken out of the way, then the " son of perdition" was 
to be, and in fact was revealed, whose certain and 
most righteous doom is to be consumed with the 
spirit of the Lord's mouth, and to be destroyed with 
the brightness of his coming. 

Again, the "little horn," ^. e, the Papal power, 
" made war with the saints," discovered in communion 
with the church of Eome. In spite of her monstrous 
corruptions, I would in charity hope and believe, 
that there may always have been some true Chris- 
tians found in her. If such remained quiet, and kept 

10* 



114 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

the faith shut up in their own hearts, well. But 
woe unto them, if they communicated the truth unto 
others — if the truth became in them, as the word of 
God did in the prophet, as a fire in their bones, so 
that they could no longer keep silence, for then they 
became troublesome to the hierarchy, and then this 
government made war with them, and sought their 
extermination. The church, so called, under the 
Papacy, especially prior to the glorious Eefor- 
mation of the sixteenth century, has been compared 
to an edifice consumed, beneath whose ashes a fire 
smouldered, from which, from time to time, bright 
sparks were seen to escape, and accordingly history 
records some names, concerning w^hich we have 
reason to hope that they were written in the Lamb's 
Book of Life. 

We would fain hope that the truth which sanctifies^ 
is now laid up in the sanctuary of some pious hearts 
in the Romish communion, and that it will be here- 
after, is manifest from the fact that, sooner or later, 
there will be a call to such to come out from the 
mystic Babylon. " And I heard another voice," said 
John (Rev. xviii. 4, 5), " from heaven, saying, Come 
out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her 
sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For 
her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath 
remembered her iniquities." The faithful will obey 
this heavenly call, and escape, and be monuments of 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 115 

God's condescending mercy, and to the praise forever, 
of the might and magnificence of his grace. But the 
residue will miserably perish. Has not — is not this 
call now going forth unto the papal nations, and 
peoples? Has not Ireland heard, and France, and 
even Eome (the city) itself, and are not the thousands 
Vv'ho a few years ago were bigoted Eoman Catholics, 
some of whom are now most exemplary Protestant 
Christians, the very persons, at least in part, whom 
the heavenly voice designated as " my people?" But 
to return from this digression, I remark, that our 
purpose at present is, to show by a few examples, 
that Popery made war with the saints, in communion 
with the papal church, whenever and wherever dis- 
covered, either communicating the truth unto others, 
or by their protestations against the corruptions of a 
corrupt ecclesiastical establishment, and thus becom- 
ing offensive and troublesome to a wicked hierarchy — 
to a priesthood so depraved, that D'Aubigne tells us 
that Geiler, of Kaisersburg, who was for thirty-three 
years the great preacher of Germany, said : ^' When the 
summer leaves turn yellow, we say that the root is 
diseased; and thus it is a dissolute people proclaim a 
corrupt priesthood. If no wicked man ought to say 
mass," said he to his bishop, " drive out all the priests 
from your diocese." 

In the fourteenth century, Wickliffe made his ap- 
pearance in England, and knowing the pride, ambi- 



116 

tion, and covetonsness of the Pope, lie, in his lectures, 
sermons, and writings, exposed the Eomish court, and 
the vices of the clergy, both religious and secular. He 
wrote against the doctrine of indulgences. He op- 
posed the Popish doctrine of tran substantiation. He 
engaged, with other pious and learned men, in trans- 
lating the sacred Scriptures into the English language, 
and thus, by his important labors, struck at the root 
of ignorance and superstition, which a wicked priest- 
hood perceiving, like the Ephesians of old, they 
trembled for their craft, and the " little horn" made war 
with him. He was met by opposition and reproach, 
and persecution in life, and after his death his bones 
were exhumed and burnt, by his enraged enemies. 

Again, John Huss, the celebrated Bohemian re- 
former, was born near Prague, about the year A. D. 
1376. He entered deeply into the essence of Chris- 
tian truth. He besought Christ for grace, that he 
might glory only in his cross, and in the inestimable 
humiliation of his sufferings. In his efforts at re- 
form, he attacked the lives of the clergy, rather than 
the errors of the church. The state of relis^ion at 
this time was indeed low, and the priesthood most cor- 
rupt. The famous Council of Constance even, which 
was now held, determined that a reformation was 
necessary. But the wicked men, who constituted this 
council, had no heart for so important, so great, and 
so good a work, and hence, directed their thunder- 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 117 

bolts against Huss and his followers. Pronouncing 
him an arch-heretic, they despoiled him of his sacer- 
dotal vestments ; and delivered his body, as they said, 
to the civil power, and Ms soul to the devil. The 
" little horn" made war with him, and prevailed, i. e.j 
wdth reference to his bodi/j which they turned into 
asheSj but not so, in regard to his renewed, blood 
washed, sanctified and immortal spirit ; that leaped 
np from amid the flames, and escaped into the realm, 
athwart whose bright sky the black wing of the 
persecutor's storm shall no more spread forever. 

Once more, Jerome becoming acquainted with 
the writings of Wickliffe, at the University of 
Oxford, translated them into his native language, and 
on his return to Prague, attached himself to the 
people in Bohemia, over whom Huss presided. The 
" little horn" made war with him and prevailed, as 
with the preceding. He was cited to appear before 
the Council of Constance, on the 17th of April, A. D. 
1415. Having thought it prudent to retire, he was 
seized on his way, sent back, brought before the 
council, accused of Protestant principles, and re- 
manded from the Assembly into a dungeon. From 
this he was conveyed to a strong tower, and exposed 
to torture and want, and finally, was delivered over 
to the civil power for martyrdom. He met his fate 
heroically, and with cheerful countenance. Observ- 
ing the executioner abont to set fire to the wood 



118 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

beWnd his back, he cried out, "Bring thy torch 
hither, perform thy office before my face ; had I 
feared death, I might have avoided it." When sur- 
rounded by blazing fagots, he cried out, " Lord 
God, have mercy upon me," and a little afterwards, 
*'Thou knowest howl have loved thy truth;" and 
thus he fell asleep, his martyr soul passing up from 
the flames into the paradise of God. 

Finally, to mention no other in this connection, 
the Dominican Savanarola, a native of Ferrara, 
preached at Florence, A. D. 1498, against the insup- 
portable vices of Kome. He was remarkable for 
piety, eloquence, and learning. He touched the sores 
of the church with a heavy hand. He inveighed 
against the pontiffs with great severity. For this 
freedom, however, he severely suffered. The " little 
horn" made war with him and prevailed, committing 
him to the flames, dispatching him at the stake, 
which fate he bore Avith the most triumphant forti- 
tude and serenity of mind. 

Such has been the conduct of the " little horn," — 
of a government professedly Christian, towards true 
Christians, discovered in the Romish communion, as 
illustrated by these few examples. Such has been 
the conduct of a government, whose head blasphem- 
ously assumes to be Christ's vicegerent on earth — to 
represent the meek and compassionate Saviour, who 
taught us to love others, not only those who love us. 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 119 

but those even who hate us, and to pray for those 
who despitefully use us, and persecute us. But 
what enormities, violence, and wickedness may not 
be expected at the hands of a power, whose head or 
chief is styled (if not directly, as many believe, at 
least typically) "that man of sin," " the son of per- 
dition," " that wicked," " whose coming is after the 
working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying 
wonders." 2 Thes. ii. In his late attempts at re- 
storatioUj through French intervention (after having 
been driven away by his own loving! subjects), the 
Pope, the professed father of his people, by his min- 
ions, agents, and helpers, hilled the Eomans, his chil- 
dren. The Pope, the professed shepherd of the sheep, 
cut the throats of his own floch! But in due time, as 
we shall see, "the judgment shall sit, and they shall 
take away his dominion," i, e., the dominion of the 
"little horn," to consume and destroy it unto the end. 
Blessed be God, that we live in a land which is free, 
and in an age when this power is so far wasted, or 
consumed, that we can worship God, the Father, Son 
and Holy Ghost, after the manner Rome calls heresy, 
and yet apprehend neither inquisition, nor dungeon, 
nor gibbet, nor rack, nor fire, nor stake — without 
fearing that the Pope, his bishops or priests (pro- 
fessed followers of Christ!) shall either deliver our 
bodies into the hands of the executioner, or commit 
our souls to the devil. 



120 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

Finally, the "little horn" made war with the 
saints, after the Reformation in the sixteenth century, 
and prevailed against them. Mosheim informs ns 
that about the commencement of this (sixteenth) 
century, the Eoman pontiffs lived in the utmost 
security. They had no reason to apprehend oppo- 
sition to their pretensions, or rebellion against their 
authority, since the Waldenses, Albigenses, Beg- 
hards and Bohemians were suppressed, and all had 
yielded to the united power of council and the sword. 
If anything could alarm the lordly pontiffs, it was 
the restoration of learning and the number of men of 
genius, which were distinctive features of this par- 
ticular time. But even this, or these, were insuf- 
ficient to disturb these unclean birds of night, or in 
other words, to terrify the lords of the church, or 
cause them to apprehend a decline of their power. 
Hence, in security and ease, free from fears and cares, 
they folloAved and gratified, Avithout limit or restraint, 
their lusts and passions. Alexander the VI., a 
monster whose deeds excite horror, and whose enor- 
mities place him on a level with the most execrable 
tyrants, stained the commencement of this century 
with the most atrocious crimes. The world was 
delivered from this papal fiend, A. D. 1503. Pius 
the III. succeeded Alexander, but died in less than 
a month. Julius II. by fraud and bribery, obtained 
the vacant chair, and dishonored the pontificate by 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 121 

tlie most savage ferocity, audacious arrogance, des- 
potic vehemence of temper, and most extravagant 
and phrenetic passion for war and bloodshed. This 
audacious pontiff being carried off in the midst of 
his vindictive and ambitious projects, A. D. 1512, 
was succeeded A. D. 1513, by Leo X., a man of 
milder disposition than his predecessor, but equally 
indifferent about the interests of religion, and the 
advancement of true piety. The licentious example 
of the Popes was zealously imitated by the inferior 
ministers and rulers of the church. The greater 
part of these passed their days in dissolute mirth 
and luxury, and squandered on their lusts and 
passions the wealth which had been set apart for 
religious and charitable purposes, whilst prodigious 
swarms of licentious or ignorant, superstitious, and 
impudent monks overspread Europe, a burden and 
a pest to society. 

While the Eoman pontiff slumbered in security at 
the head of the church, and saw nothing throughout 
the vast extent of his ghostly rule but tranquillity 
and submission, and while the worthy and pious 
professors of the religion of Jesus almost despaired 
of seeing that reformation on which their most 
ardent desires and expectations were bent, an 
obscure and inconsiderable person suddenly offered 
himself to public view, in the year of our Lord 1517, 
and under God laid the foundation of this long ex- 
11 



122 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

pected cliange, by opposing, with undaunted re- 
solution, Ills single force to the torrent of papal 
ambition and despotism. This extraordinary man 
was Martin Luther, a native of Eisleben, in Saxony, 
a monk of the Augustinian Eremites (one of the 
mendicant orders), and, at the same time, professor 
of divinity in the university which had been erected 
at Wittemberg, a few years before this period, by 
Frederic the Wise. The papal chair was at this 
time filled by Leo X. already mentioned. Maxi- 
milian L, a prince of the house of Austria, was king 
of the Eomans, and emperor of Germany, and 
Frederic the Wise was elector of Saxony. The bold 
efforts of this new adversary of the pontiffs, were 
honored with the applause of many ; but few or 
none entertained confident hopes of his success. It 
seemed scarcely possible that this puny David could 
hurt a giant whom so many had vainly opposed, and 
before whom so many heroes had fallen. But the 
weakest are irresistible, when in faith they fight the 
battles of the Most Iligh, and when by prayer and 
uplooking confidence, they import into their own 
weakness the might of Jehovah. His Maker con- 
tending for him, and fighting through him, a solitary 
Elijah, struck the terror of God into an idolatrous 
generation, and so Luther, weak in himself, and 
insignificant, by the presence and assistance and 
power of the Highest, held at bay and beat back the 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 123 

embattled hosts of the enemies of the truth, and in 
spite of them, carried the water of life into the midst 
of perishing nations. 

True to its instincts, the '^ little horn" made war 
with him. It sought his ruin by cunning, by force, 
and it is said hy poison even. Nor is this incredible, 
since poison is one of the chosen instrumentalities of 
the great Anti-Christian Apostasy, to rid herself of 
those whose presence bodes her no good. Many an ad- 
versary has Eome silenced by her cunning mixtures. 
The blood of the millions of slaughtered Christians 
which is found in her skirts, and which is, and has 
long been crying to heaven for vengeance, was not 
all shed in open violence, but much of it by the hired 
assassin, and not a little by food poisoned, and by 
the cup in which there was death. But Luther was 
under the protection of one higher than man. God 
was with him. Hence, all the wiles and wickedness 
of the Eoman hierarchy, seconded by the imperial 
power of Charles V., could not accomplish his de- 
struction. He finished the work which Providence 
assigned him, and died in peace, February the 18th, 
A. D. 1546, commending his soul into the hands of 
God, who redeemed him. He was an extraordinary 
man, raised up for an extraordinary purpose, for a 
mighty and glorious work, and immortal until that 
was accomplished, or else he would have prematurely 
fallen in the war which the papal government waged 



124 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

against him. Few men were ever instrumental (for 
an instrument only was he) in the hands of God, in 
conferring so many, and snch great blessings upon 
mankind. He was a blessing to the world, to the 
spiritually oppressed nations, and deceived peoples 
of Europe especially, while he lived, and when he 
died, his decease produced an immense sensation. 
Though the enemies of evangelical religion, no 
doubt, greatly rejoiced, yei its friends, Protestant 
Europe, wept, especially where the great reformer 
was best, or most intimately known. The hierarchy, 
thank God, "prevailed'' not against the man by 
whom, and by whose agency and labors, under Pro- 
vidence, Europe threw off* the cerements of the 
middle ages, and emerged to light and life, to enter- 
prise and freedom. 

When the Keformation arose, the "little horn'' 
made war, not only with the leader in the great 
work, but with its friends, advocates, and supporters 
generally, i. e., the Pope and his clergy, aiders and 
abettors, joined all their forces, craft, cunning, the 
secular arm, secret violence, and open opposition, to 
hinder the progress of the everlasting glorious Gos- 
pel. The Council of Trent was called (which was 
held near eighteen 3^ears), for the purpose of estab- 
lishing Popery in greater splendor, and to prevent 
the Reformation. The friends of the Reformation 
were anathematized and excommunicated, and the 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 125 

life of Luther was often in danger, though, as we 
have seen, he at last died on his bed in peace. In- 
numerable schemes were suggested to overthrow the 
Eeformed church. Wars were set on foot for this 
purpose. The Inqu.isition, which was established in 
the twelfth century against the Waldenses, was now 
more effectively set to work. Terrible persecutions 
were carried on in various parts of Germany, and 
even in Bohemia, which continued about thirty 
years. The blood of the saints flowed in streams. 
The countries of Poland, Lithuania, and Hungary, 
were in a similar manner deluged with Protestant 
blood. 

The "little horn made war with the saints and 
prevailed against them." To be more fully satisfied 
of the fulfilment of this prophecy, and that the 
Papal is indeed the government signified, or intend- 
ed by the prophet, by the " horn before whom there 
were three of the first horns plucked up by the 
roots," let us consider a little more particularly, the 
countries or kingdoms, over which this little, but 
cunning, and impudent, and audacious government 
exercised influence. To Germany, Bohemia, Poland, 
Lithuania, and Hungary, I have already referred, 
and now observe, that in Holland, and the Nether- 
lands, from thirty to one hundred thousand perished 
by the hands of the executioner. For a long time, 
the most amazing cruelties were exercised towards 

11* 



126 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN 



these people. Thousands, as Ave have seen, were 
butchered. Popery prevailed in shedding the blood 
of multitudes, and yet was this government ulti- 
mately foiled in its purpose, in reference to these 
countries, for, throwing off' both the Spanish and the 
Papal yoke, they became an independent state, and 
a principal Protestant community. 

France has been called infidel, and certainly the 
past history of the country gives but too much war- 
rant for this unenviable designation. But no mar- 
vel, for France, in ages and centuries past, has been 
one of the great battle-fields of the " little horn," 
on which it achieved some of its greatest conquests, 
and on which it ^' prevailed " against the saints, de- 
stroying them — rooting up and exterminating the 
children of the kingdom. The noble army of mar- 
t3^rs has, perhaps, been more increased from this, 
than from any other land. After suffering many 
cruelties, there was a most violent persecution of 
the Protestants, A. D. 1572, in the reign of Charles 
IX. Many of them had been invited to Paris, under 
a solemn oath of safety, upon occasion of the mar- 
riage of the King of Navarre with the French king's 
sister. Being assembled in the capital, this " horn 
made war with them." The Protestant queen dow- 
ager, of Navarre, was poisoned. Coligni was basely 
murdered in his own house. The whole city of 
Paris was ravaged by murderers, who, in three days. 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 121 

butchered above ten thousand of those who, having 
renounced their allegiance to Rome, had come out 
from the mystic Babylon. "A horrible scene of 
things," says a historian of these times, " when the 
^ very streets and passages resounded with the noise 
of those that met together for murder and plunder ; 
the groans of those who were dying, and the shrieks 
of such as were just going to be butchered, were 
everywhere heard; the bodies of the slain thrown 
out of the windows ; the courts and chambers of the 
houses filled with them ; the dead bodies of others 
dragged through the streets; their blood running 
through the channels in such plenty, that torrents 
seemed to empty themselves in the neighboring 
river ; in a word, an innumerable multitude of men, 
women with child, maidens, children, were all in- 
volved in one common destruction, and the gates 
and entrances of the king's palace all besmeared 
with their blood." From the capital, the persecu- 
tion and massacre spread throughout the entire 
kingdom. In the city of Meaux, the Papists slaugh- 
tered the Protestants like sheep in the market. At 
Orleans, they murdered the Protestants. At Angers, 
Troyes, Bourges, La Charite, and at Lyons, their 
butcheries were wholesale, inhuman, devilish. From 
thirty to one hundred thousand fell in this persecu- 
tion. But how was the announcement of these in- 
fernal papistical murders received, at head-quarters, 



128 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

at Eome^ hy the Pope^ and the liigli dignitaries of the 
great Eomish apostasy? The Pope, in accordance 
with a decree of the assembled cardinals, marched 
with them to the church of St. Mark, solemnly to 
give thanks to God, for so great a blessing conferred 
upon the See of Eome, and npon Christendom at 
large ! Solemn mass was celebrated in the presence 
of Gregory XIII. and his cardinals ! A jubilee was 
proclaimed throughout the Christian world, " and 
the cause of it declared to be to return thanks to 
God for the extirpation of the enemies of the truth 
and church in France." The saints wept, but Eome 
rejoiced. The saints bled, but Eome triumphed. 
The pale, mangled, and blood-crimsoned corpses of 
the slain lay strewn over the cities, villages, and fair 
fields of France, or filled the rivers and new made 
graves, but in the miscalled ^' eternal city," there 
were jubilant explosions of cannon, illuminations, 
bonfires, aad every external sign of rejoicing. The 
prophet's prediction was herein verified two thousand 
years after its utterance, and we in the middle of the 
nineteenth century look back over near three hun- 
dred years, and confess, that the Spirit of God was 
indeed in Daniel, for he not only prophesied that the 
^'little horn" would make war with the saints, but 
also that it ^novIH lorevail. 

Inasmuch as it will illustrate our point in prophecy 
just as well, as also some other phenomena, let us 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 129 

draw a little more from the more recent history of 
the country under consideration — the land in which, 
not a century ago, they proclaimed inJ&delity as the 
state religion — w^hose inhabitants wildly slaughtered 
each other J until over surfeited with blood ; on whose 
burial-place gateways was not only unbiblically, but 
unphilosophically and absurdly written — " Death is 
an eternal sleep'' — whose reputed great men went 
down into the grave blaspheming, or who, preparatory 
to the " eternal sleep," sought to be enveloped in 
perfumes, to be crowned with flowers, and to be 
surrounded with music, rather than seek to be 
clothed upon, with the righteousness which is of 
faith in the Son of God. But to proceed; as late as 
Louis XIV., the Protestants in France w^ere subjected 
to the most cruel persecution. A ferocious soldiery 
was set upon them, who desolated their dwellings, 
broke their furniture, stripped them of their money, 
beat them, not suffering them to eat or drink. " In 
several places the soldiers applied red-hot irons to 
the hands and feet of men, and the breasts of women. 
At Nantes, they hung up several women and maids 
by their feet, and others by their armpits, and thus 
exposed them to public view stark naked. They 
bound mothers that gave suck, to posts, and let their 
sucking infants lie languishing in their sight, for 
several days and nights, crying and gasping for 
life. Some they bound before a great fire, and being 



130 

half roasted, let tliem go ; a punisliment worse tlian 
death. Amidst a thousand hideous cries, they hung 
np men and women by the hair, and some by their 
feet, on hooks in chimneys, and smoked them with 
wisps of wet hay, till they were suffocated. They 
tied some under the arms with ropes, and plunged 
them again and again into wells; they bound others, 
put them to torture, and with a funnel filled them 
with wine till the fumes of it took away their reason, 
wdien they made them say they consented to be 
Catholics. They stripped them naked, and, after a 
thousand indignities, stuck them with pins and 
needles, from head to foot. If any, to escape these 
barbarities, endeavored to save themselves by flight, 
they pursued them into the fields and woods, where 
they shot at them like wild beasts, and prohibited 
them from departing the kingdom (a cruelty never 
practised by Nero or Dioclesian), upon pain of con- 
fiscation of their eflljcts, the galleys, the lash, and 
perpetual imprisonment. AVith these scenes of 
desolation and horror, the Popish clergy feasted 
their eyes, and made only matter of laughter and 
sport of them." 

In England, Ireland, Scotland, and Spain, &c., the 
'4ittle horn" also made war with the saints after the 
Eeformation, and to a greater or less extent prevailed. 
None of those countries, or kingdoms, over which 
this power exercised superintendence, escaped suffer- 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 131 

ing. They all bled under the hand of bigotry, 
superstition and persecution. In the reign of Henry 
yill., many reformers were burnt. When Mary 
came to the throne, Hooper, and Eogers, and 
Saunders, perished in the flames. Taylor was put 
in a barrel of pitch, which was set on fire. Sixty- 
seven persons were burnt A. D. 1555, among whom 
were the famous Protestants, Bradford, Eidley, Lati- 
mer, and Philpot. The year following they burnt 
eighty-five more. Ireland was dren ched in Protestant 
blood. Forty or fifty thousand were cruelly murdered 
in the reign of Charles I., in a few days. Scotland 
was for many years the scene of suffering, persecu- 
tion and bloodshed, until delivered by the monarch 
at the revolution. From Spain and Italy they seem- 
ingly exterminated the "holy seed;" Pome's emis- 
saries strangling the inoffensive and defenceless 
evangelical Christians, like dogs, in the deep, dark 
and silent dungeons of the Inquisition. Fearful are 
the sins of the mystic Babylon, and terrible will be 
her judgments. " Eeward her even as she rewarded 
you, and double unto her double according to her 
works : in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her 
double. How much she hath glorified herself, and 
lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give 
her : for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am 
no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall 
her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, 



132 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

and famine ; and she shall be utterly burned with, 
fire ; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 
And the kings of the earth, who have committed 
fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall be- 
wail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the 
smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear 
of her torment, saying, Alas, alas! that great city 
Babylon, that mighty city ! for in one hour is thy 
judgment come." Rev. xviii. 6-10. But though her 
lovers mourn at her overthrow, yet will many rejoice, 
"Saying, Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and honor, 
and power, unto the Lord our God : for true and 
righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the 
great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her 
fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his ser- 
vants at her hand." Rev. xix. 1, 2. 

I have now, as I apprehend, shown, and sufficiently 
illustrated, from history, that (and also how) the 
"little horn" made war with the saints, and prevailed 
against them, according to the prediction of Daniel, 
left on record upwards of twenty-five centuries ago. 
The flict, that several protestant churches, though 
right now in this particular, did not at first, w^hen 
they came out from Rome, fully iinderstand the 
rights of conscience, and persecuted, it is said in 
some instances unto death, does not at all affect, or 
make void the position which we have assumed, viz: 
that the Papal is the power, primarily and empliati- 



ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS. 133 

cally^ intended by the prophet, by the symbol so 
frequently mentioned in these pages, and which 
would, and did wage this most wicked, cruel, 
cowardly, infamous and successful war, against 
inoffensive men and helpless women ; against babes 
and sucklings, or in other words, the saints and their 
offspring. I will only yet add, that besides the tens 
of millions of butchered Christians^ Popery has to 
answer for the lives of millions of Jews, Mohammedans 
and barbarians, who in former years were sacrificed 
to the sanguinary genius of the Eomish Apostasy. 
When the Moors of Spain were vanquished by 
Ferdinand, many thousands were forced to be 
baptized, or burnt, or massacred, or banished, and 
their children sold as slaves. Multitudes of Jews 
shared the same cruelties, chiefly by means of the 
infernal courts of the Inquisition, and fifteen millions, 
it is said, of the feeble natives of Spanish America, 
fell a sacrifice to the spirit and temper of the mystic 
Babylon. 

Human beings are capable of terrible things, of 
frightful, dark, and most wicked deeds, when governed 
by unhallowed principles, when influenced and con- 
trolled by prejudice, superstition, and bigotry. These 
baneful things have metamorphosed men into infer- 
nals, entirely extinguished all the feelings of humanity, 
the dictates of reason, and the voice of conscience. 
May the great Father of us all speedily pluck up 
12 



134 

every plant from the "human heart, which is not of 
his planting, and instead thereof may righteousness, 
truth, forbearance, brotherly kindness, and charity, 
flourish and abound, and this melancholy, stormy, 
bloody world, too often filled with fiend-like men, 
resemble that v/hich is to be, in which there is no 
more sin, and consequently no more death, nor 
sorrow, nor crying, nor pain, in which the tree of life 
blossoms and bears anew, and immortality flows again 
in the pure river of life. 

In reference to the period, or the duration of 
the period of the power and violence of the 
government symbolized by the *' little horn," and 
of its domination over, and persecution of the 
saints, I remark that it is set forth in prophecy 
thus: l^i; jSo^ VPX\ ]D^'^^ during a year, 
and two years^ and a half year ^ i. e.^ during three years 
and a half. A prophetic year has three hundred 
and sixty days. The Jews reckoned thirty da3^s to 
each month. A day in prophecy, is put for a year, 
and as three years and a half, according to the above 
reckoning, contain twelve hundred and sixty days, 
the period of the " little horn's" power was twelve 
hundred and sixty years. In the Apocalypse (Eev. 
xiii. 5) this period is thus expressed: "And power 
Avas given unto him to continue forty and two 
months," i. e., three years and a half. For the beast 
out of the sea (Eev. xiii. 1) signifies the very same 



THE DURATION OF ITS POWER. 135 

governmentj intended by Daniel in the Scripture 
under consideration. To be certified of this, let us 
institute a brief comparison. Daniel said of the 
" little horn," that it had " a mouth that spake very- 
great things," V. 20. John said of the "beast," 
that, " there was given unto him a mouth speaking 
great things, and blasphemies," Eev. xiii. 5. Daniel 
said of the "little horn," that "he shall speak great 
words against the Most High," v. 25. John said of 
the "beast," that " he opened his mouth in blasphemy 
against God, to blaspheme his name," Rev. xiii. 6. 
Daniel predicted concerning this " same horn," that 
it should make war with the saints, and prevail 
against them, v. 21. John prophesied of the "beast," 
that " it w^as given unto him to make war with the 
saints, and to overcome them," Rev. xiii. 7. The 
prophet, as we have seen, announced the duration of 
the "little horn's" power, to be "until a time and 
times and the dividing of time," v. 25. The apostle 
said of the apocalyptic " beast," that " power was 
given unto him to continue forty and two months," 
Rev. xiii. 5. . We might easily pursue this compari- 
son somewhat further, but let thus much suffice, to 
prove the exact identity of the power, or government, 
signified by the symbols of a " little horn," and a 
" beast," which arose out of the sea, employed by 
the prophet Daniel, chap, vii., and by the apostle 
John, Rev. xiii. 



136 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

Some have plumed, or prided themselves, on the 
antiquity of Popery — the long continuance, or dura- 
tion of that apostasy^ for such it is in truth, as if 
that were an argument for its divinity, or an evi- 
dence of its approval by Heaven. But its age is no 
more proof of the divine approbation, than the 
hoary head is, of itself, a guarantee of adoption into 
the family of God, in the case of one who has spent 
his days and years, until '' clothed with the snows of 
eld," in wickedness, and in rebellion against the 
Most High. Gray hairs may sometimes be regard- 
ed as the first rays of light from the better land 
falling upon us, but not necessarily, nor always. 
The long standing, or great age of Popery, is no 
more a sign of the divine favor, than the still greater 
age of the arch-fiend is a proof that he is a child of 
God, and a cheerful, willing, and obedient subject of 
Jehovah's government. Both Satan and Popery are 
old, but what then? Both are black with crime. 
Both are under deep condemnation. Both are des- 
tined to the hiirning lake, "And the devil that de- 
ceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brim- 
stone, where the beast and the false prophet are^ and 
shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever." 
Eev. XX. 10. Popery, set forth in the Sacred Scrip- 
tures, as a wicked, audacious, blasphemous, and per- 
secuting power, was, according to human reckoning, 
to continue long, as we are taught by prophecy, both 



THE DURATION OF ITS POWER. 13t 

in the Old and in the New Testament. Dan. vii. 25 ; 
Eev. xiii. 5. It arose gradually from amid the fol- 
lies and the corruptions of the times, and of the 
human heart. It required long years, yea, centuries 
even, before it matured sufficiently, or reached that 
point when it became the subject of prophecy. After 
it had reached this stage, it was to continue in vio- 
lence and power twelve hundred and sixty years, 
and when its violent domination had ceased, its ex- 
istence was still to be prolonged, though in a crip- 
pled state — not morally improved, not less preju- 
diced, not less superstitious, not less bigoted, but 
crippled, "And I saw one of the heads as it were 
wounded to death ; and his deadly wound was heal- 
ed: and all the world wondered after the beast." 
Eev. xiii. 3. In this infirm state, or condition. 
Popery is now, and will be, until the " beast " rising 
out of the abyss, or " bottomless pit" (Rev. xvii. 8), 
shall appear emphatically, as " the man of sin," the 
" son of perdition" — the " Antichrist," to rage more 
terribly than ever, but only for a short season. Now 
all these periods make, or constitute a long time, 
according to human reckoning, or human calcula- 
tion, but on this account, let no one boast of the 
divinity of this power. It was to endure long, ac- 
cording to the sacred record, but to be corrupt, car- 
nal, sensual, devilish, and not divine. 

The durq^tioq. of the power of the "little horn," 
12* 



138 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

or of the " beast " out of the sea, for the space of 
twelve hundred and sixty years, is no new idea to 
the Christian public. The diflSiculty has ever been, 
from what point in history to date Popery. Guided 
by history and prophecy, by the annals of time, and 
by the word of God, there is, I apprehend, no neces- 
sity for much doubt or confusion in reference to this 
thing. Some date Popery, as having become the 
subject of prophecy, from the grant of Phocas, A. D. 
606, to the Bishop of Eome, of the title of " Uni- 
versal Bishop." But this title he had already before^ 
hence this period, for the reason assigned, should be 
abandoned, as the prophetic starting point of the 
Papal power. Again, some have dated the Popedom 
from the grant to the Pope, in perpetual sovereignty, 
of the Exarchate of Eavenna, by Pepin, King of 
France, A. D. 755. But inasmuch as it was accord- 
ing to prophecy, Eome^ and not Eavenna, nor any 
other place, and the Imperial^ and not the French, 
nor any other power, wliicli the Pope was to receive, 
755, A. D., cannot stand as the date for the begin- 
ning of this government. Prophetic Popery com- 
menced in the time of the Emperor Justinian, be- 
tween A. D. 530 and 539. The exact year even 
may, I think, be ascertained with the utmost preci- 
sion. Suffice it, however, to say, iliat it teas Justinian 
and no oilier^ who gave the Bishop of Rome the dra- 
gon^s ^^pQwer^ and his seat and great authoritgr Eev. 



THE DURATION OF ITS POWER. 139 

xiii. 2. The apocalyptic dragon was the symbol of 
the Eoraan-imperial authority, and the "seat" of 
that authority was Rome. But if Popery arose in 
the former half of the sixth century, then its years 
of ^;^o?m^ domination were ended or numbered, in 
the latter half, or near the close of the eighteenth. 
"What do history and fact teach us on this subject? 
History, which is prophecy fulfilled, teaches us, that 
A. D. 1798, the Papal power was entirely supersed- 
ed hy the French republican authorities, and fact 
ever since demonstrates its great (comparative) 
weakness. Rome's decadence is manifest. The Pa- 
pal church is being consumed. Her opponents, not- 
withstanding her boast of universality, are in Christ- 
endom, at this hour, many millions more than her 
adherents. Let me here quote some interesting 
facts, to prove Rome's gradual consumption during 
the last fifty or sixty years. " In North America, 
Central America, South America, the proportion of 
Roman Catholics to Protestants, fifty years ago, was 
17 to 4; and in 1855, the Protestants are in the 
majority. This is a gigantic step. In America, 
meaning the United States, Romanism is decaying. 
The Rev. Mr. Mullens, a Roman Catholic priest, was 
sent to America to collect money for the Irish Uni- 
versity. He wrote home to the priests in Ireland to 
stop emigration to the United States, at all hazards ; 
for, says the Rev. Mr. Mullens, almost all the Roman 



140 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

Catholics that emigrate to the United States from 
Ireland become Protestants ; and his advice, there- 
fore, to the Irish priests is to stop emigration to the 
United States. ^ The Eoman Catholics have lost 
several millions of adherents in the United States, 
in less than half a century.' Again, in Eoman 
Catholic France, the increase of population for the 
last fifty years has been at the rate of fifteen per 
cent.; in Eoman Catholic Austria, the rate has been 
about twenty per cent.; in Great Britain, the in- 
crease — the Protestant increase — is a hundred per 
cent.; in Prussia, another Protestant country, the 
increase has been a hundred per cent. So that, as 
matter of fact, we find the Protestant population in- 
creasing throughout the world, and the Eoman 
Catholic population gradually decreasing and lessen- 
ing in amount. Let us now refer to Ireland, about 
which we know more. The Bishop of Tuam states 
that he has ten thousand converts from Eoman Cath- 
olicism in his diocese alone. The Ecv. II. Seymour 
states that the number of converts, made through 
the instrumentality of different societies, during the 
last twenty years, is upwards of 40,000, in the West 
of Ireland alone." In England and Scotland, indeed, 
some clergymen, noblemen, and gentlemen, have of 
late years been perverted to Eome, but many more 
Eoman Catholics have been converted to Protestant- 
ism, including the premier Duke of England, and 



THE DURATION OF ITS TO AVER. 141 

other noblemen, together with great numbers of the 
middle classes. 

Once more, "in 1790 there were 5,000 priests in 
Paris. Paris has just doubled its population during 
the last half century ; well, according to this, the 
priests in Paris ought now to be 10,000; for the 
population has doubled, and there ought to be 
double the number of priests. But what is the 
fact? They are now actually reduced to 800!" 
Only two millions, out of thirty-six millions, go to 
confession, throughout all France. Several whole 
parishes have changed their creed, and the parish 
churches are now Protestant. In Belgium, also, 
entire Protestant congregations are constituted of 
converts from Eomanism. "During the great excite- 
ment about the Holy Coat, at Treves, several years 
ago, 300,000 left the Church of Eome, in Austria, 
where a priest is punished if he allows atiy of his 
flock to join the Protestant church. In the valley 
of the Zil, about 500 Eoman Catholics became Pro- 
testants, and the King of Prussia gave them a home, 
which the Emperor of Austria denied them. In 
Spain, the convents once contained 53,000 nuns; but 
so enamored were these nuns of their holy abodes, 
that the instant they had the chance of escape, 21,000 
of them ran away and left them. The property of 
the nunneries and convents of Spain, I need not add, 
has been suppressed. In Italy, at this moment, the 



142 

same work is going on. A very just view of this is 
taken in the Christian Times^ May 25, a paper re- 
markable for the fulness and accuracy of its foreign 
news." 

" Whilst Piedmont is secularizing the convent 
propertj^, and Spain is setting up the possessions of 
the church, the Pope himself is doing the same thing 
under another form. He is contracting an exchequer 
loan with the house of Rothschild, on mortmain pro- 
perty, that is to say, on St. Peter's patrimony! 
Where is the difference ? And it is worth his while 
after this to threaten the government and chambers 
of Turin with excommunication, as Monsignor 
Ghilardi, Bishop of Mondovi, did the other day! It 
is worth his while now to quarrel with Spain, and 
with our Grand Duchy of Baden, over the very 
church property which the Pope mortgages. Please 
to remark the bearing of this fact. The successor 
of Leo X. borrows money; he borrows it of Jews, he 
borrows it to pay soldiers to defend liim against the 
love of his own people; he borrows it, giving 
security in default of credit, and that security is the 
sQjcred property of the church. Assuredly I have no 
wish to taunt the Pope with his poverty. Would to 
God, rather, that he were as poor as the Galilean fish- 
erman whose successor he pretends to be. But, after 
all, we maybe permitted to draw our own conclusion 
as to the love and generosity of that immense 



THE DURATION OF ITS POWER. 143 

Catholic Church, which allows the Holy Father thus 
to commit his inheritance to the pawnbroker." 

Finally, "in JSTiee, in Genoa, in Turin, there are 
now Protestant churches; and in the last place, 
Turin, the king has authorized a second church to 
be added. In Tuscany, there were 8000 nuns about 
ten years ago ; there are now only 2000. Dr. Wise- 
man tried to show that these nuns were so charmed 
with their cells that nothing would be so dreadful as 
a visit from Her Majesty's ministers; and that the 
iron gratings were not to keep them in, but to keep 
off the hands of wicked Protestants without. But 
we find that wherever a nun gets a chance of escape 
she is only too happy to seize it, and to be a woman 
again. In Eome, two-thirds of the citizens would 
gladly get rid of the Pope, and the cardinals too, if 
they could. At this moment the vicar of Christ, the 
infallible head of Christendom, is supported by two 
crutches, formed out of the bayonets of Austria on 
his left, and the bayonets of France upon his right ; 
and the instant that those bayonets are withdrawn, 
the last tramp of the retreating soldier will wake 
those crashes in the Vatican, and in St. Peter's, that 
will sound the death-knell of the Papacy, and all 
that are connected with it. And out of those two- 
thirds that are opposed to the Papacy, I am told 
that one-half nearly are disposed to Protestantism, if 
not already Protestants. In Naples there were 



144 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN; 

47,000 priests fifty years ago; now there are just 
27,000 ; fifty years ago there were 25,000 monks ; 
now there are 8000. Go to any nation, capital, or 
city throughout Europe or America, and the number 
of Eoman Catholics, of priests, of monks, of nuns, 
has decreased, and is decreasing in a rapidly grow- 
ing ratio since 1790 onward to the present moment." 
Popery is now doctoring, on account of its infirmi- 
ties^ not with Jesus indeed, the great Physician, but 
with the Jesuits, the wily ecclesiastical empirics of 
Eome. Popery as it has existed, the Popery of the 
last thirteen centuries almost, is, I apprehend, com- 
paratively near its end. Its years of power are past. 
Its hour of weakness is present. Palsied with age, 
surfeited with blood, black with crime, it is trem- 
blingly looking forward to its doom. This power, 
as it has existed, will imprison, burn, torment and 
hang not many more of God's saints. " Mene" is 
written upon the palace walls of tliis race of pontiffs, 
and yet I think, this "same horn" (there is a pro- 
phetic and historic connection), will, modified^ revive 
again and rage fearfully for a little season. Ecvived, 
this power will be essentially INFIDEL, and carry 
along with it all ivhose names are not icritten in the 
LamVs hook of life. It will then be emphatically "the 
man of sin, the son of perdition, whose coming is 
after the working of Satan, with all power and signs 
and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of 



ITS END. 145 

unrighteousness in them that perish," 2 Thes. ii. 
But its overthrow is determined, and when the 
" beast" ascends "out of the bottomless pit," let the 
Christians of that generation rejoice, because its ruin 
is then palpably near, the period almost at hand, when 
it shall " go into perdition." Eev. xvii. 8. 

The end of the " little horn" is destruction, " The 
judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his do- 
minion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end." 
Dan. vii. 26. Clarke says: "If the church of Eome 
will reforra itself^ it will then be the true Christian 
churchy and will never be destroyed. Let it throw 
aside all that is ritually Jewish ; all that is heathen ; 
all that which pretends to be of God, and which is 
only of man ; all doctrines that are not in the Bible ; 
and all rites and ceremonies which are not of the ap- 
pointment of Christ and his Apostles; and then, all 
hail the once Eoman, but now, after such a change, 
the Holy Catholic Church,^'' Bat I assert that pro- 
phecy contemplates no reformation, in reference to 
this apostasy, or apostate church. An invitation 
will graciously be extended unto such in her com- 
munion, who are the Lord's, saying, " Come out of 
her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, 
and that ye receive not of her plagues." Eev. xviii. 
4. This I think is, according to the sacred record, 
all the grace which is in reversion for the church of 
which the Pope is the head. Eome — the city, the 
13 



146 

Pontiff, the Hierarchy, all are doomed; and though 
Popery continue until "the kingdom and dominion, 
and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole 
heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of 
the Most High" (v. 27), yet is its destruction sure. 
The Lord " shall consume this horn with the spirit 
of his mouth, and shall destroy it with the bright- 
ness of his coming." 2 Thes. ii. 8. Babylon of old, 
the Babylon on the Euphrates, was the type of 
"Babylon the great," ^. e., of Rome on the Tiber. 
Isaiah, the scope of whose predictions was, in part, 
to invite persons of every rauk and condition, 
both Jews and Gentiles, to repentance and reforma- 
tion, by numerous promises of pardon and mercy, 
intermingled NO such i^romises with the denuncia- 
tions of the divine vengeance against Babylon, 
although they occur in the threatenings against 
every other people. Vengeance only awaited the 
Type, The city, which was the glory of kingdoms, 
the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, Avas to be as 
when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah — never 
to be inhabited ; never to be dwelt in ; an astonish- 
ment and a hissing; a heap of ruins; a dwelling- 
place for dragons ; swept with the besom of destruc- 
tion, said the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah.) Vengeance 
only is in store for the antitype. The city of the 
" seven hills" shall fall, become the habitation of 
devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage 



ITS END. 14Y 

of every unclean and hateful bird ; for strong is the 
Lord who judge th her. (Rev.) 

The fact of the final destruction of this govern- 
ment, we have now sufficiently considered. It must 
be manifest, I apprehend, to every reflecting mind. 
But some may suppose that this destruction is no- 
thing peculiar, for so did all the governments that 
preceded it perish ; they, too, were only temporary. 
Nothing sublunary is immutable or eternal. The 
earth itself shall be consumed by the conflagrations 
of the last day; shall pass away amid noises, thun- 
derings, explosions, frequent, loud, and confounding ; 
yea, the visible heavens even shall perish, wax old 
as doth a garment, be folded up as a vesture, and be 
changed. Nevertheless, there are several things in 
connection with the subject under consideration, 
deserving our deep and solemn attention. And first, 
when "the rest of the beasts" (^. e., the preceding 
governments) " had their dominion taken away, yet 
their lives were prolonged for a season and time," 
V. 12. But when this last, in its last phase, termi- 
nates, there will he an utter end of it^ at once and forever, 
" I beheld then, because of the voice of the great 
words which the horn spake : I beheld even till the 
beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to 
the burning flame," v. 11. Finally Babylon fell, 
the Medo-Persian empire succeeded ; the Medo-Per- 
sian fell, the Macedonian succeeded; the Macedonian 



148 THE KINGDOM OF THE LITTLE HORN. 

fell, the Eoman succeeded ; the western Roman em- 
pire fell, ten kings, or kingdoms, all contemporary, 
succeeded ; three of the first ten fell, and the " little 
horn," i, e., the Papal power, succeeded. This power 
has spent its allotted twelve hundred and sixty years 
of violence. Its weakness is present, and has been 
for nearly two generations. Its revived strength, and 
violent domination, whenever that shall be, will be 
short. Its end will be utter destruction ; sJain^ de- 
stroyed, given to the hurning flame. What will then 
succeed ? The prophet is as explicit in this as in 
anything that preceded. A kingdom, but not an 
earthly, in the common acceptation of the term. 
The saints will possess it (v. 22). The morning 
will then have dawned, when they shall have the 
dominion. One like unto the Son of man, coming 
in the clouds of heaven, will be kixg; and dominion, 
and glory, and a kingdom, will be given unto him. 
Vs. 13, 14. Then shall be fulfilled what Gabriel 
said to Mary, concerning Jesus, whose first advent 
he had announced — " And the Lord God shall give 
unto him the throne of his father David; and he 
shall reign over the house of Jacob (not for a thou- 
sand years only, but) forever, and of his kingdom 
there shall be no end." Luke i. 32, 33. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE 
DESTKOYED, ETC. 

Our last article, or chapter, related to tlie last of 
those governments or kingdoms represented or sym- 
bolized by beasts and horns in this chapter (Dan. vii.), 
whose destruction is indeed foreordained and sure, 
but which will not be until the coming of Christ 
(2 Thes. ii. 8), for it will certainly extend, in its last 
phase, to that great and " notable day of the Lord." 
Then the judgment shall sit, aod they shall take 
away his dominion. Then shall be the vintage, the 
season when the angel shall thrust in his sickle into 
the earth, and gather the vine of the earth, and cast 
it into the great winepress of the wrath of God, and 
the winepress shall be trodden without the city, and 
blood shall come out of the winepress, even unto 
the horse-bridles, by the space of a thousand and six 
hundred furlongs, Eev. xiv. 19, 20. Then shall be 
the great earthquake and hail (Rev. xvi.), and the 

13* 



150 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

great slaughter, when from the opened heaven he 
shall come forth who is called the Word of God, on 
whose head are many crowns, and on whose vesture 
and thigh shall stand written, ^' King of kings, and 
Lord of lords." In that day, the beast and the kings 
of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to 
make war against him that shall sit on the white 
horse, and against his army ; the beast and the false 
prophet shall be taken, and both cast alive into a 
lake of fire, burning with brimstone, and the rem- 
nant shall be slain with the sword of him who in 
righteousness doth judge and make war, and all the 
fowls, called by the angel standing in the sun, shall 
be filled with their flesh. Kev. xix. 

At the termination of the patriarchal Dispensation, 
the church of the living God — " the people of the 
saints of the Most High," were outwardly in a low 
estate — in the greatest straits, but God interposed 
marvellously in their behalf, and with a high hand, 
and with an outstretched arm, brought them out of 
the house of their bondage, delivered them from 
their oppressors, signally overthrew their enemies, 
and so utterly that whilst Moses, and all Israel with 
him, were standing on the shore of the Eed Sea, on 
the side toward Canaan, singing the song of victor}^, 
there remained not so much as one of the Egyptians 
to carry back the melancholy tidings of this most 
extraordinary catastrophe. At the close of the Old 



WHICH THE SAINTS SHALL TAKE AND POSSESS, ETC. 151 

Testament Economy, the disciples of Jesus — the 
converts to Christianity ; the adherents of the new* 
and better Dispensation — all escaped from Jerusalem 
(the city that killed the prophets, and stoned them 
whom God sent unto her) to a place of refuge, and 
were safe. But the unbelieving Jews, the enemies 
of Christ, and of his church, were consumed by fire 
and famine, by the sword and captivity. So will it 
be at the end of the present, or Christian economy. 
However seemingly adverse, or even desperate their 
circumstances, believers, sprinkled with " the blood 
of the everlasting covenant," will escape the de- 
stroyer. But the enemies of the Lord will all perish. 
The overthrow of the wicked, however, in this in- 
stance, will be more than ever universal, terrible, 
and confounding. Not only all the blood of the 
prophets, from Abel to Zacharias, who perished 
between the altar and the temple, but all the blood 
of all the righteous, from him who fell by the hands 
of his wicked brother down to the last slaughtered 
saint, will be required of that generation. May we 
be counted worthy, in that day, to take our place 
with those of whom it is said that they " had gotten 
the victory over the beast, and over his image, and 
over his mark, and over the number of his name, 
stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God, 
and sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and 
the song of the Lamb, saying, great and marvellous 



152 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

are thy works, Lord God Almiglity ; just and true 
are thy ways, thou king of saints." Eev. xv. 2, 3. 

Six questions, subjects, or topics, here present 
themselves for our consideration, viz : — 

1. What is to succeed the destruction of Anti- 
christ, or the last of the Gentile governments, repre- 
sented, or symbolized by " beasts" and " horns" in 
chapter 7 ? (Dan. vii.) 

2. Who shall set up tlds KINGDOM ? 

3. When shall it be established ? 

4. Its locality. 

5. Its head or king, and its subjects, involving 
the questions of the Jews' return, and of Israel's 
restoration, and 

6. Its duration and extent. 

That which is to succeed or follow the destruction 
of Antichrist is a KINGDOM, not coexisting with the 
*' beasts" and ^' horns" (the governments thus repre- 
sented) save in its elementary principles, but succeed- 
ing them. It was after the beast was " slain, and his 
body destroyed, and given to the burning flame," 
that the prophet said, "I saw in the night visions, 
and behold one like to the Son of man came with 
the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of 
Days, and they brought him near before him. And 
there was given unto him dominion, and glorj^, and 
a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages 
should serve him." Vs. 13, 1-i. 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 153 

A kingdom, in the ordinary acceptation of the 
term, is the dominion of a king, or the territories, 
&c., subject to a monarch. A kingdom is thus con- 
stituted, or the following are essential features in it. 
(a) It has a head variously styled, monarch, sove- 
reign, ruler, king, &c. This ruler may be absolute, 
a despot whose will is law, or only a constitutional 
chief. The king is the dispenser of judgment — the 
executive, and sometimes the lawgiver also. Kings 
have sometimes been prodigiously wicked, as e. g, 
Ahab, Manasseh (who afterwards repented), Herod, 
&c. &c. They have often been oppressors of the 
people, and sometimes no better than murderers of 
nations, and plunderers of a world. Most melancholy, 
too, has not unfrequently been the moral influence 
of such, upon those whom they governed. Sad will 
be their account, and terrible their retribution, in 
that day, when the mountains quake at the approach 
of their Creator, and the hills melt, and the earth is 
burnt at his presence. For the fire which is kindled 
in Jehovah's anger, and shall burn into the lowest 
hell, shall then, emphatically, begin to strike with 
all its power to distress and to destroy, upon all the 
enemies of God forever; upon the once flattered, 
idolized, and wicked kings as truly, and more fiercely 
and terribly, than upon the ungodly multitudes, 
whom in this world they trampled into the mire, or 
gave to be food for the fowls of heaven. But some 



154 

kings, also, allow me to remark in this digression, 
were distinguished for their piety, walked in the fear 
of the Lord, and observed his statutes, to do them, as 
David, Hezekiah, Josiah, and others more, whose 
brows shall be decked with a brighter, fairer crown, 
than any they wore on earth, for, having done that 
which is "right in the sight of the Lord," their 
names were written in " the Lamb's book of life." 
(b) A kingdom has its lazes. These are written or 
unwritten, despotic or constitutional, mild or cruel, 
good, bad, or defective, as the case may be. (c) And 
finally, a kingdom has its subjects, rendering a 
willing and cheerful, or a more or less constrained 
and sullen obedience to the laws ; dwelling in safety, 
peace, and security, or in continual alarms, from 
internal violence, and from external foes. 

There were four great or universal monarchies in 
the world, from the deluge down to the present time. 
No more than four and their divisions, singular as 
this assertion may seem to the tyro in history, and 
there ivill he no more than four^ until the termination 
of the present age or dispensation, which termination 
will be at the coming and kingdom of Christ. Other 
kingdoms and governments are not 'pro]:)hetic^ at least 
not in this chapter. Other kingdoms and govern- 
ments, not excepting even the great Mohammedan 
powers ; the Saracenic and Turkish, are mere episodes 
in the world's great drama. These four kingdoms, 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 155 

arising successively (except in their divisions, which 
existed contemporaneously), are, as we have seen, 
symbolized in prophecy, by such emblems as signify 
the ferocity, cruelty, rapacity, and brutality generally 
of these governments. These kingdoms were, and 
are Gentile. The period of their duration (extending 
from Nebuchadnezzar to the final consummation of 
all things, or to the termination of this age, or dis- 
pensation), constitutes what the Saviour calls "the 
times of the Gentiles." Luke xxi. 24. They are 
thus distinguished from the KHSTGDOM of the 
saints, which is yet future. This is only then to be 
set up or established, when the last of the Gentile 
governments is removed, overthrown and utterly 
destroyed. I would not afl&rm, indeed, that the 
heads or chiefs of these kingdoms may not some- 
times have been good and faithful men. Far from 
it. Indeed, we may hope to meet Nebuchadnezzar 
even, the first of them, in the kingdom of heaven, 
decked with the crown of righteousness, and arrayed 
in the habiliments of the priests of the upper 
Sanctuary. For proud and idolatrous as he was at 
first, he in the end was deeply humbled, and blessed 
the Most High, and praised and honored Him who 
liveth forever, acknowledging that all his " works 

are truth, and his ways judgment." But what I 
intend, or mean, is, that these governments were 

Gentile^ in contradistinction from the KINGDOM of 



156 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

the saints. The saints (though occasionally, as an 
exception, a good man attained to ofl&ce and power) 
w^ere only tolerated by these governments. In their 
own KINGDOM, on the contrary, under the rule of 
the " Son of man," the saints shall have the dominion. 
No Gentile oppressor shall anymore lord it over 
God's heritage. No Canaanite more, shall be in the 
land. There shall be none to hurt or destroy, in all 
God's holy mountain. This earth shall not be Satan's 
seat forever. Not the scene of sin and woe, and of 
the curse forever. Not the sepulchre of the redeemed 
forever. It is destined to a glorious renovation, in 
which, or on which, the Lord's ransomed will sing 
the new song^ by the side of the river which flows 
from beneath the Throne, and under the very shadow 
of the tree of life. But to return to the four great Gen- 
tile monarchies. Zion has been in captivity from the 
days of Nebuchadnezzar to the present time, and will 
be, until the destruction of Antichrist; until He " who 
in righteousness doth judge and make war," shall 
give the flesh of his enemies, of kings, and of cap- 
tains, and of mighty men, and the flesh of all, bond 
and free, great and small, to the fowls of the air, and 
the saints take the KINGDOM, *'and possess the 
kingdom forever, even forever and ever." 

As the term kingdom, and the phrase " kingdom 
of God," are frequently used in the public discourses 
of ministers of the gospel, in books, and in conver- 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 15t 

sation among Christians as synonj^mous with, the 
word churchy it va^j be worth inquiring, in this con- 
nection, whether they are really convertible terms. 
Is the church one with this kingdom? I answer 
91(9, save in the elementary principles of the church, 
or as the church is preparatory to the kingdom. 
The church is the body of those who believe in God, 
and obey him. (a). The church existed long lefore 
the great prophetic Gentile monarchies, or the ^' times 
of the Gentiles," had a beginning. Abel, and Seth, 
and Enoch, and Noah, &c., of antediluvian celebrity, 
were members of the church. It rode upon the 
waves of the deluge. It flourished in Goshen, and 
was planted in Palestine, long before the descendants 
of Israel, in captivity, sat and wept by the waters of 
Babylon. Inasmuch, then, as the church existed 
hefore the Gentile governments were in being, but 
this KINGDOM is to follow after^ or to succeed 
them, the church cannot be the kingdom referred 
to in verses fourteen, twenty-two, and twenty- 
seven, (l). The church coexisted with all, and 
throughout all the years, ages, and centuries of the 
four great monarchies, to the present hour, and will 
continue to the consummation of all things, until 
the utter destruction of the last of these in its last 
phase. But the kingdom under consideration is not 
to he contemporaneous with these powers, but to succeed 
them ; therefore, the church cannot be this kingdom. 
14 



158 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

(c). Finally, the church, though in the world for the 
world's advantage, the very conservation of the 
world, yet has it ever met with opposition. It was 
planted, we may say, amid persecution. One of its 
first members died a violent death, by the hands of 
his wicked brother, because by faith he offered a 
more acceptable sacrifice than Cain. Abel died a 
martyr. But the church was not only planted amid 
persecution, but its membership was small, in the 
general corruption of manners, in the years beyond 
the flood. It mourned under the despotic and bloody 
decree of Egypt. It wept in Babylonish captivity. 
When it emerged into notice, under the new Dis- 
pensation, the Messiah was hated, rejected, and cruci- 
fied, and after his death, resurrection, and ascen- 
sion, apostles, confessors, and multitudes of the 
disciples of the Eedeemer, of every age, rank, sex, 
and condition, moistened the very soil of the world 
with their blood. In later times, hell exhausted its 
resources of torment, and earth appeared one vast 
aceldama, or field of human (Christian) gore. It is 
true, indeed, that the church has existed and flour- 
ished in all ages. It is true that the fire has only 
purified, but never consumed it. It has triumphantly 
and gloriously survived all opposition, and yet lives 
and prospers, and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it, whilst its enemies have gone down to the 
grave with infamy. All this is true, and still the 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 159 

churcli has only been a despised, thougli glorious, 
exile. But in tlie KINGDOM under consideration, 
the saints will be supreme. No enemy shall assail 
them; no persecutor or persecution harass them. 
Tumult, suspense, and fear will be no more. Peace 
will spread her olive-branch forever over all the 
happy millions of its subjects, and hence the church, 
in this vale of tears, cannot be the KINGDOM of 
the saints. 

But, again, to be more specific, is not the New 
Testament church, or the Gospel Dispensation, styled 
the '^ kingdom of God," and the " kingdom of hea- 
ven ?" Expositors, I think, ordinarily or generally 
so teach, and so interpret or apply these phrases, as 
found in the New Testament, and I will not now, in 
this place, deny that they may not sometimes have 
this signification, on the one hand, and on the other, 
freely admit that the Gospel church partakes of the 
nature of the Kingdom, is rudimentally the same^ and 
yet assert that the New Testament church is not the 
Kingdom itself, which Daniel speaks of, whilst the 
New Testament phrases, " kingdom of God," and 
"kingdom of heaven," to say the least, do frequently 
and chiefly refer to the very Kingdom which the pro- 
phet saw given to " one like the Son of man," and 
who came with the clouds of heaven. Dan. vii. 13, 
14. That the New Testament church is not the 
" kingdom of God," or the " kingdom of heaven," 



160 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

properly^ and consequently not that whicli the pro- 
phet saw in the night visions, as succeeding the last 
of the Gentile governments, is manifest from the fol- 
lowing considerations : True Christians are of the 
church, are in it. Collectively^ they constitute it. The 
church is present, a present fact or reality. But 
Christians are to hope for the Kingdom. *^ Fear not, 
little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to 
give you the kingdom." Luke xii. 32. But hope 
is the expectation of some good. To hope is to place 
confidence in futurity. The church, then, which, as a 
present fact, cannot be an object of hope, cannot, for 
the same reason, be the Kingdom, with the promise 
of which the Saviour comforted his disciples. Again, 
the Kingdom is an object of search ^ "But rather seek 
ye the kingdom of God." Luke xii. 31. But it 
manifestly could not be this to the disciples, who 
themselves constitute the church, if the Kingdom be 
one and the same with the church. Ilencc, there 
must be a distinction. The church the disciples of 
Jesus have found. The Kingdom they must seek. 
Finally, the Gospel church cannot be this Kingdom, 
because the Saviour taught his followers thus to 
pray, "Thy kingdom come." Matt. vi. 10. Believ- 
ers, Christians, disciples of the great Eedeemer, are 
(constitute) the church. But if the church and the 
Kingdom icere one^ save in the sense set forth above, 
where the necessitj^, or, it would seem, propriety 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 161 

even for such a prayer ? As Jesus, however, en- 
joined nothing unnecessary or improper, there must 
be a difference. The church is present. It is here. 
But the Kingdom \^ future. It is to *' come." Nay, 
the New Testament church, though the nursery, is 
not the Kingdom itself, of which Daniel speaks, for 
which the disciples of Jesus are to hope, for which 
they are to seek, and for whose coming the Master 
himself taught them to pray. This church is now^ 
but the Kingdom shall only then be, viz : at the 
appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the judg- 
ment of the quick and the dead. 2 Tim. iv. 1. Be- 
lievers, we repeat it, constitute the church, are in it. 
But into the Kingdom they shall only then be intro- 
duced, when " the Son of man shall come in his 
glory," and all nations are gathered before him. In 
the separation which he will make in that day, these 
will be set on his right hand. ^' Then" (not before) 
"shall the king say unto them on his right hand, 
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom 
prepared for you from the foundation of the world." 
Matt. XXV. 34. 

The term heaven or heavens^ is used indifferently 
in the Sacred Scriptures, either in the singular or 
plural number. The word has various applications 
and sigDifications in the Bible. It is applied to God, 
to angels, to the church, to a great height, and to 
distinguished glory. All these are metaphorical 

14* 



162 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

■uses of the word. Literally, the Jews employed it, 
to signify one or the other, of the three heavens, 
which they acknowledged. The first was the region 
of the air, where the birds fly, and which are there- 
fore called, ^'the fowls of heaven." It is in this 
sense also, that we read of the dew of heaven, the 
clouds of heaven, and the winds of heaven. The 
second is that part of space, in which are fixed the 
heavenly luminaries, the sun, the moon, and the 
stars. The third, is the seat, abode, or residence of 
God, and the home of the holy angels — the place 
into which Christ ascended after his resurrection, 
and into which St. Paul was caught up, but which, 
unlike the other heavens, is invisible to mortal eye — 
beyond the reach of human vision. Heaven, so far 
as the redeemed, justified, sanctified, and saved of 
the human family are concerned, is the state of future 
happiness^ and it has been truly observed, that it " is 
to he considered as a place as v:ell as a stated It is ex- 
pressly so termed in Scripture (John xiv. 2, 3), and 
the existence of the body of Christ, and those of 
Enoch and Elijah, is a further proof of it. For if it 
be not a place, where can those bodies be? and 
w^here will the bodies of the saints exist after the 
resurrection ? Again, it has been remarked, " where 
this pilace is, however, cannot be determined. Sup- 
positions are more curious than edifying, and it be- 
comes us to be silent where rlivino revelation is so.*' 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 163 

In tlie former quotation there is found admirable 
truth, in the latter unnecessary, though I believe not 
unusual error. I will endeavor to show in this vol- 
ume, that the locality of heaven^ as respects the 
human race, is clearly revealed — that on this subject 
the Sacred Scriptures are not silent — that the ^^where^^ 
needs, so far as revelation is concerned, be as little 
encumbered by " suppositions,^^ as the fact that there 
is a heaven at all. One is as clearly the subject of 
revelation as the other. But what, it may be asked, 
has all this to do with the kingdom under consider- 
ation? Much every way. For heaven, the Chris- 
tian's everlasting rest, the final abode of the right- 
eous — the residence, the eternal habitation of those 
of our race, who " washed their robes, and made 
them white in the blood of the Lamb" — heaven, the 
everlasting seat of consummate holiness, where this 
divine principle shines, and reigns, and triumphs — 
heaven from which every sinner, and every sin, are 
banished — in which no temptation assails, no lust 
rankles, no disease prostrates, no death threatens, no 
funeral chant is heard, no grave nor cypress seen, 
but life, undecaying and immortal, animates forever 
the assembly of the first born : — Heaven and this 
Kingdom are one. 

This Kingdom, or in prophetic language, the do- 
minion and glory and the kingdom, which shall be 
given to one like the Son of man, who shall come 



164 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

witb. the clouds of heaven, and be brought near be- 
fore the Ancient of days — the dominion which is 
an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, 
and the kingdom which shall not be destroyed — the 
kingdom which the saints of the Most High shall 
take and possess forever, even forever and ever — the 
kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the 
kingdom under the whole heaven, which shall be 
given to the people of the saints of the Most High, 
is (or a very small part of it, chronologically con- 
sidered) the Millennium, 

The idea of a millennium is found, I believe, in 
every age of the Christian church ; and views, differ- 
ing somewhat concerning it, seem to have obtained, 
in different centuries, among different individuals. 
Some foolish things may have been said and written 
on this subject; some unworthy things, and some 
that were presumptuous even. That there have 
been, and are, in this behalf, many erroneous opinions, 
notions, views, and sentiments, in the world, or in 
the church, I have no doubt ; and that all these the- 
ories may, in some particulars, be wide of the truth, 
when once the reality is present, is more than proba- 
ble. Nevertheless, the millennium has been much 
spoken of, and much has been written concerning it, 
and whether it be what many have maintained or not, 
it is a subject of revelation, and, therefore, a legitimate 
subject for humble, serious, patient, prayerful, and 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 165 

unpresumptuous inquiry, and manifestly both our 
privilege and duty, to endeavor to arrive as near the 
facts and truth in the premises as possible. If they 
are chargeable with irreverence to the sacred volume, 
who, in their investigations of prophecy, specify 
"the day and the hour," no less guilty are they who 
refuse to study the prophetic portions of the Bible 
altogether. "Blessed is he that readeth, and they 
that hear the words of this prophecy," &c. Eev. i. 3. 
The declaration that prophecy cannot he understood 
at allj until fulfilled, is folly. The refusal to try, is 
contrary to the example of the Old Testament saints. 
"The prophecy (I quote from another) that Moses 
announced — *A prophet shall the Lord your Grod 
raise up, like unto me,' the Jew did not postpone, 
as a subject of study, till the prophet came, but 
understood and fed upon the promise, and was saved, 
supported, and comforted by it, yet unfulfilled. 
Again, the prophecy in Genesis, ' The sceptre shall 
not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between 
his feet, until Shiloh come,' the Jew did not pass by 
in his Bible, and say, ^ This is an unfulfilled pro- 
phecy; it will be time enough to study this when 
the Shiloh comes.' No! he regarded it as Peter 
does prophecy, as a light, however dim, still shining 
in a dark place, until the day-star should arise on 
the heart and he should see clearly. When Isaiah 
specifies the birth of the mighty God, the Prince of 



166 TUE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

Peace, the Man of Sorrows, the Emmanuel, God 
with us, who was to die, to be crucified, to be an 
atonement, the pious Jew did not saj, ' This Messiah 
is not come, it will be time enough to read the 53d 
chapter of Isaiah when Messiah comes.' No ; he 
fed on Christ that was to come, just as sweetly as we 
feed by faith upon a Christ that has come ; and the 
unfulfilled prophecy, though not so clear, was yet as 
dear to him as is to us the fulfilled and recorded an- 
nouncement of the Gospel, ^He was slain for us, 
and rose again for our justification.' The prophet 
Micah gives the very name of the place of the birth 
of the Messiah ; the prophet Malachi gives all but 
the name of his messenger that was to precede him. 
Was it possible that a pious Jew would overlook all 
these unfulfilled prophecies, or carelessly wait till 
their fulfilment? Or, is it not far more probable, 
nay, is it not absolutely certain, that these were the 
scattered stars that shone from the whole canopy of 
Judaism, and shed down their bright rays from age 
to age, and guided the Jew to heaven, to happiness, 
to glory, until the Sun himself emerged from beneath 
the horizon, and shed down the splendor of meri- 
dian da}^, and all the stars that preceded were lost in 
the brightness of His rising ? I think it was scarcely 
possible that a pious Jew could possibly mistake the 
meaning of these, or that he could possibly pass 
them by, as of no use to him, because unfulfilled. 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 16*1 

On the contrary, it is certain tliat the Jew, or, if we 
may be allowed the phrase, the Christian Jevv^ — and 
Adam, was a Christian, Abraham was a Christian, 
Abel was a Christian, in the best, and in the highest 
sense of that word, so clearly understood these un- 
fulfilled prophecies that he pondered upon them, 
and talked of them when he lay down, and when he 
rose up. Reports of these ancient prophecies, as 
understood by the Jews who read them, spread over 
heathendom itself, like fragments of driftwood across 
the Mediterranean Sea, retaining the names and in- 
scriptions of memorable facts, and were read and 
deciphered by Tacitus, by Seneca, by hundreds of 
the heathen, who have left on record that about this 
time the prophecy prevailed in Judea, that One 
would come who would take the supremacy, and 
wield the sceptre. We have irresistible proofs that 
the Jews did study unfulfilled prophecy. If they 
studied the unfulfilled predictions of a Saviour that 
was to come to suffer, ought we to shut our eyes to 
the unfulfilled predictions of a Saviour that is to 
come to reign? If unfulfilled prophecy was to 
them a light shining in a dark place, may not unful- 
filled prophecy be still to us a brighter light, shin- 
ing, it may be, in a brighter place, but itself still 
brighter than all the lights around, and giving us 
sweet hopes and blessed expectancies, that make the 
believer even now lift up his head because his 're- 



168 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

demption draweth nigli?' God has graciously voncli- 
safed to us a glimpse of the future, of the glory 
which is to he revealed^ and this to excite the hopes 
of his people, to stimulate their holy desires, to 
challenge investigation, to console and comfort them 
"under tribulations, bufietings, revilings, persecutions, 
in bonds, imprisonments, and deaths. Adverse as 
circumstances may seem, the people of the Highest 
now surely know that their enemies shall perish, and 
their captivity come to an end ; that light is destined 
to get the ascendency over darkness, that God, in the 
sight of allj will triumph over Satan gloriously, and 
that the kingdoms of this world even^ shall ^ become 
the kingdoms of our Lord aud of his Christ.' Hal- 
lelujah! transporting, rapturous thought, and hope 
full of glory ! This icorld^ wdiich sin and perdition 
had marked for their prey; this ivorld^ over which 
seemed to stand, in letters of fire, the ante-chamher 
of hell; this world^ whose every breeze has wafted the 
sighs, and whose every hill and valley has echoed 
the groans of suffering saints, shall be brought into 
icilling subjection to the Most High — be one great 
universal temple^ from which praise shall ascend for- 
ever, sweeter than the morning incense. 

^' *Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; and 
all nations shall serve him.' ^ They shall not hurt 
nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for the earthy 
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as th^. 

/ 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 169 

waters cover the sea.' Ps. Ixxii. 11; Isai. xi. 9. 
Christians generally maintain that these and many 
similar passages of Scripture, afford sufficient ground 
to believe that the church will arrive at a state of 
prosperity, never yet enjoyed. This happy condi- 
tion of things will, according to these, continue one 
thousand years, or a considerable time, in which the 
work of salvation will be fully accomplished, in its 
utmost extent and glory ; that in this time the world 
will be full of real Christians, and continue full, by 
early regeneration, to supply the place of those who 
successively leave it; that God's ancient covenant 
people, the Jews, will be converted, genuine Chris- 
tianity be diffused throughout all nations, and Christ 
reign by his spiritual presence^ gloriously. Jt will be, 
according to this view, a time of eminent holiness, 
clear light, knowledge, love, peace, friendship, and 
agreement in doctrine and worship. Human life, 
perhaps, will be rarely endangered by the poison of 
the mineral, vegetable, and. animal kingdoms. Beasts 
of prey, perhaps, will be extirpated, or tamed, by 
the power of man. The inhabitants of every place 
will rest secure from fear of robbery and murder. 
War will be entirely ended. Capital crimes and 
punishments be heard of no more. Governments 
placed on fair, just, and humane foundations. The 
torch of civil discord will be extinguished. Pagans, 
Turks, Deists, and Jews, will be entirely converted, 



ItO THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

or will be as few in number as real Christians are 
now. Kings, nobles, magistrates, and rulers in 
churches, shall act with principle, and be forward to 
promote the best interests of men. Tyranny, op- 
pression, persecution, bigotry, and cruelty shall 
cease. Business will be attended to, without conten- 
tion, dishonesty, and covetousness. Trades and 
manufactures will be carried on, with a design to 
promote the general good of mankind, and not with 
selfish interests, as now. Merchandise between dis- 
tant countries will be conducted without the fear of 
an enemy; and works of ornament and beauty, per- 
haps, shall not be wanting in those days. Learning, 
which has always flourished in proportion as religion 
spread, shall then greatly increase, and be employed 
for the best purposes. Astronomy, geography, natu- 
ral history, metaphysics, and all the useful sciences, 
will be better understood, and consecrated to the 
service of God; and by the improvements which 
have been made, and are making, in ship-building, 
navigation, electricity, medicine, &c., the tempest 
will lose half its force, the lightning lose half its 
terrors, and the human fi'ame be not nearly so much 
exposed to danger. Above all, the Bible Avill be 
more highly appreciated, its harmony perceived, its 
superiority owned, and its energy felt by millions of 
human beings." This happy period, according to 
those holding the opinions here set forth, may be in 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. IVl 

the seven tlaousandtli year of tlie world; its approacli 
gradual; nay, that certain phenomena in the political 
condition of nations, and in the church of Christ, may 
possibly, even now^ be the precursors of this very time; 
may usher in the morning of that bright and glorious 
day, when the whole world shall be filled with the glory 
of God, and the ends of the earth see his salvation. 
Finally, they teach that Christianity, having univer- 
sally prevailed (during which period our race as- 
sumed the appearance of one vast, virtuous, harmo- 
nious family, and our world the seat of one grand, 
triumphant, adoring assembly), a brief space of trial, 
(wickedness) will ensue, and then the scene mingles 
w^th heaven — the mysteries of God on earth are 
finished, the Son of God descends, the dead arise, the 
Judgment is set, the books opened, they whose names 
are written in the Lamb's book of life, welcomed into 
the heavenly inheritance, but the enemies of Christ 
slain, and the unprofitable servants cast into outer 
darkness. Such are, I believe, the opinions enter- 
tained by Christians generally; by many distin- 
guished, wise and good men. This happy state, 
they usually denominate the millennium; the " true 
millennium." The propriety of using this term, in 
connection with such views as those above stated, I 
cannot understand, nor is it, I imagine, possible for 
any to assign a good and sufficient reason — such a 
reason as will bear a critical, philological, or (per- 



172 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

haps better) a Biblical test. But setting aside tlie 
name in this instance for argument's sake, as of no im- 
portance, and maintaining only the thing signified^ as 
alone material in the premises, I assert that there is 
no proof /?^c)m the Bihle^ of such a state prior to the 
second advent of Jesus Christ; the Final Judgment; 
the New Heaven and the New Earth; and then and 
tliere^ it will be wholly divested of all that is gross, 
temporal, and not divine, in the idea concerning this 
glorious era, above set forth. " When the Son of 
man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" Luke 
xviii. 8. Thus queried the Saviour. The answer to 
this question unmistakably is, 7io, he shall not find 
faith on earth then, or, at all events, but compara- 
tively little. "As it was in the days of Noah, so 
shall it also be in the days of the Son of man." 
Luke xvii. 26. And how was it then? Ohiistead, 
in his admirable book "Noah and his Times," which 
I could wish in the hands of every one, speaking of 
those times, uses the following language: "Hearken: 
*God saw,' the All-seeing eye saw — it was such a 
condition as specially to attract the notice of the 
Omniscient and Infinitely Holy One — 'that the 
wickedness of man was great in the earth.' But 
this is not all ! He saw that ' every imagination of 
his (man's) heart' — of mans — not the heart of a few, 
but of the race — Svas' — not alone partially — 'only 
evil;' — not solely sometimes, or by turns — ^con- 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 1*[3 

tinuallyj (Gen. vi. 5.) This language is to be un- 
derstood intensively. There is, it is true, no good 
thing, no holiness in man by nature, either as to his 
state or exercises. But it is not this latter which is 
intended to be taught as a formal truth in this place. 
There is here meant to be denoted a speciality as to 
degree— a marvellous excess, as well as universality, 
of wickedness. Listen again to the Divine Testi- 
fier : ^ The earth was corrupt before God — all flesh 
had corrupted his way upon the earth.' (Gen. vi. 11, 
12.) What a state of moral degeneracy is here de- 
noted ! What a one vast putrid mass spread before 
the gaze of Infinite Purity! If you picture to your- 
self everything unclean in taste and feeling, in con- 
versation and conduct ; universal in extent and 
enormous in measure, as to what is here averred, 
you will then have before your mind's eye some 
image of what is denoted by the language here used 
by the sacred writer. The sin of idolatry^ which is 
an awfully corrupt thing before God, is one of the 
items here included. The people's doing corruptly, 
(2 Chron. xxvii. 2), is explained in 2 Kings xv. 35, 
by their sacrificing and hurning incense in the high 
places. This flagrant wickedness (which was pro- 
bably not unknown among the Cainites for some 
time ere this) was perpetrated 'before God,' openly, 
publicly, without disguise, to his very face, and 
everywhere. There is likewise indicated an absence 

15^ 



114: THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

of all personal, domestic, and social virtue and purity, 
and the abounding of the opposite in thought and 
feeling, in speech and behavior. Every spring, 
fountain, was turned to filthiness. Sin is an unclean 
thing before God. Other forms of iniquity may be 
considered as signified — profanity or blasphemy — 
a casting of contempt in word and conduct on every- 
thing sacred; every elevating sentiment, every 
ennobling principle, set at naught, reviled, repu- 
diated ; and all that is vile and degrading embraced, 
fostered, encouraged. 

*' Listen to what the inspired annalist additionally 
declares concerning the condition of the world at 
this period. ^ The earth was filled with violence.' 
(Gren. vi. 11.) How mournfully emphatic the lan- 
guage! Violence was Hhe order of the day,' so to 
speak. No security to anything valuable or precious, 
to reputation, chastity, property, personal, domestic, 
social or civil rights ; or even to life itself. Eude, 
defamatory utterances ; malicious, hostile treatment ; 
rapes, rapines, excessive oppressions and cruelties; 
mobs ; noisy and bloody strifes ; wars ; murders — 
these were everywhere to be witnessed ; these filled 
the world. I say, the icorld^ for onankind had greatly 
multiplied^ as Gen. vi. 1, properly interpreted, in- 
dicates. The human population had become very 
numerous as well as wide-spread. Cast your eye 
again on that language just quoted, 'The earth,' not 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 1^5 

some circumscribed locality, or small spots here 
and there, solely — ^ filled,' not barely had a little 
sprinkling — with ^ violence^ not a little indulgence 
of wrong impulses; not merely an inconsiderable 
exhibition in the life of dishonest, covetous, rapa- 
cious, lewd, malicious, oppressive, cruel, murderous 
propensity and purpose. 

"Corruption had come to such a pitch, wickedness, 
high-handed, flagitious, had obtained such an ascend- 
ency and prevalence, that law and order were 
trampled under foot ; wild anarchy for the most part 
existed and triumphed. Every one did, we will not 
say what was rigJit in his own eyes, but what he 
listed; and from the hints given by the Archaic 
historian, we see what that would be, ' only evil.' " 
(See Noah and his Times. Olmstead.) 

Well, as it was in the days of Noah, when God 
first made known his purpose to him, when he 
announced the coming deluge to his contemporaries, 
and when the Lord shut him in the ark, and the 
windows of heaven were opened, and the fountains 
of the deep broken up, and the waves of the mighty 
flood began to drive in desolating fury around earth 
doomed, by reason of man's enormous wickedness, 
so will it be in the days of the Son of man. " Like- 
wise also as it was in the days of Lot," " even thus 
shall it be in the day when the Son of man is 
revealed." Luke xvii. 28, 30. Wickedness and 



176 

carnal security will characterize that generatioiij as 
they did Sodom, on the morning when the angels led 
him (Lot) forth, and bade him escape for his life, 
inasmuch as overwhelming, desolating fires from 
Jehovah were just waiting his (Jehovah's) permission 
to consume this nest of unclean birds, to stifle these 
serpents in their den, to drive these fiends in human 
form from earth, into the regions below. The 
Saviour's query, looking forward to a condition of 
the world, morally so melancholy, in that day^ gives 
but little encouragement, indeed, to any well- 
grounded hope for the happy state^ under the present 
dispensation, of which so many Christians idly dream. 
But again, the tares, as we are taught by the Saviour 
(Matth. xiii.), will not only grow with the wheat, lut^ 
it would seem^ grow idthout let or hlnderance^ or dimi- 
nution^ until the harvest. But the harvest is the end 
of the world. (Matt. xiii. 89). The harvest is the 
period in which they that do iniquity, shall be cast 
into the fiery furnace, and when the righteous shall 
shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. 
Matt. xiii. 41—13. I would ask, is the universal 
conversion of the nations, and of most individuals, at 
any period, between the first manifestation of the Son 
of God in the flesh, and his revelation in flaming fire, 
or advent to Judgment in the clouds of heaven, 
consistent with the teachings of this parable? 
*' Preach the Gospel to every creature," is Christ's 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. ITY 

command. Mark. xvi. 15. To publish it, is the 
disciples' duty ; imperative as omnipotence, solemn 
as eternity, and the promise which Christ has left his 
church, is this, " and the Gospel of the kingdom shall 
be preached in all the world, for a witness unto" (it is 
not here said the conversion of) " all nations." Matt, 
xxiv. 14. 

Those who maintain the views just stated, and 
briefly combated, are not millenarians, properly so 
called, though they frequently, but vaguely, use the 
term millennium^ to designate an expected happy era 
in the church. Theirs is a spiritual reign, or what 
we now have^ only that there is with them a " looking 
for expanding piety, increasing light, a growing 
church, and dying apostasy ; a progressive advancing 
millennium of beauty, holiness, and glory, and then 
Christ upon the judgment-throne." Eeal millenarians 
use the word millennium more definitely, and with 
more show of reason, and it may not be out of place, 
briefly to notice their views also, in this connection, 
especially, inasmuch as I have said that the KINGr- 
DOM under consideration, or a small part of it, 
chronologically considered, is the millennium. Mille- 
narians then teach, that the Lord Jesus Christ will 
reign on earth personally and visibly for, or during 
the space of one thousand years — that this personal 
reign will be introduced, or preceded by terrible 
popular and political convulsions, wars and revolu- 



178 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

tions — tliat after tliese commotions there will be a 
season or period of great peace, of exceeding pros- 
perity, and of surpassing glory, in which (all anti- 
christian powers and nations having been removed) 
the word^ under the visible, personal superintendence 
of Jesus Christ himself, will indeed run and be 
glorified, the fair daughter of Jerusalem look glori- 
ously from Zion's hill, and all nations flock unto her 
like doves to their window; Columbia's painted 
tribes, Africa's dusky swarms, Asia's silken throngs, 
Europe and all the isles of the sea. They maintain 
that the Jews will then be converted, and most pro- 
bably return to Palestine, and that those heathen 
who never heard the Gospel, or but partially heard 
it, shall then hear, and turn unto the Lord and live. 
In a word, all that which we have before said, as 
expected by Christians generallj^, to be effected 
" ultimately by the ordinary instrumentalities put forth 
by the church, millenarians expect to be accomplished 
by the personal superintendence and reign of Jesus 
Christ on earth. Tliey teach also, that after the lapse 
of one thousand years, Satan, who was bound during 
that period, will be loosed a little season, and with 
renewed ra2:e will 2:0 out to deceive the nations, to 
carry forward his work of darkness, of deception, of 
rebellion, sin, and death, and then will be the end, the 
Judgm.ent, the eternal banishment of the wicked into 
hell, and the ISTew Jerusalem state, in which the 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 179 

tabernacle of God will be with men, " and lie shall 
dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and 
God himself shall be with them, and be their God ; 
and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ; 
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor 
crying, neither shall there be any more pain ; for the 
former (evil) things are passed away." Eev. xxi. 3, 
4. Some, finally, affirm, that the millennium thus 
introduced, viz: by the discomfiture of the enemies 
of the church, and characterized by the resurrection 
of the martyrs, or of all the just, by multitudinous 
conversions, and the u.niversal difi*usion of Christi- 
anity, is yet itself the Day of Judgment^ in the morning 
of which the saints will arise, during which the 
gospel will be preached, the Jews converted, the 
heathen gathered into the church, all the ends of the 
earth behold the glory of the Lord and see his 
salvation, and at its termmation^ the wicked be judged 
and turned into hell. The Day of Judgment, accord- 
ing to this theory, is not an ordinary day of twenty- 
four hours, but a thousand years ; "one day is with 
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years 
as one day." 2 Pet. iii. 8. In regard to this last 
idea, viz : the length or duration of the day of Judg- 
ment, it may be observed, that that day^ is a day 
appointed^ and is most probably a specific time, and 
may be a thousand years, as well as any other definite 
period, nay, the inference, I imagine, amounts almost 



180 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

to certainty, that one thousand years will indeed be 
the duration of that great and notable day of the 
Lord, but as respects proof, that the period between 
the two resurrections will be a season of grace to many, 
or indeed to any, I know of none. 

The church has ever been in the wilderness state, 
oft hotly pursued with hostile intent, and sorely pressed 
by Pharaohs, many Balaks ready to pour out their 
treasures with a lavish hand, that she might be 
cursed, and Balaams not a few, willing to curse her 
Utterly^ but for the restraining power of the God of 
Israel, and all the while the promised possession is 
in the hands of the Gentile, The Canaanite is in the 
land. The Anakim are there. But the church will, 
by and by, end her journeyings, accomplish her war- 
fare, triumph over her foes, pass the Jordan, enter 
the promised inheritance, see the King in his beauty, 
be transformed into the same image from glory to 
glory, and be maintained in peaceable and quiet 
possession forever. In this final and certain triumph 
of the churchy it is our privilege to rejoice, and to 
concern ourselves little, as respects the manner in 
which it is effected. It is enough for us to know 
that it will be, and that, too, in the proper time, and 
by the proper means, or instrumentalities. Never- 
theless, for such a thousand years personal reign of 
Christ on earthy as we have just been contemplating, 
— for such a thousand years personal reign, as that 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 181 

wliich has hitherto generally been adopted and ad- 
vocated by millenarians properly so called, I think 
the sacred volume gives us no warrant. The thou- 
sand years of Eev. xx. only mark the difference 
(chronologically) between the resurrection of the just 
and of the unjust — the state of the saints — the condi- 
tion of the wiched^ and of that old serpent^ " which is the 
devil^'^ during this 'period. On the righteous, who 
shall have been raised at the last trump, and changed 
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, death 
shall never more have any power. They shall all 
be priests unto God, and reign with Christ. All the 
luiclced shall during these thousand years^ he among the 
dead. Satan shall be bound, cast into the bottomless 
pit, shut up, and a seal set upon him, that he may 
deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years 
he fulfilled. Loosed from his prison, but unimproved 
by his experience and sufferings, the devil will im- 
mediately address himself to his ancient work of 
deception and rebellion, and thus " go out to deceive 
the nations, the number of whom is as the sand of 
the sea." Eev. xx. 8. Accustomed to the ascend- 
ency, in all their generations — increased in enmity 
and hate, and every fiend-like disposition and pas- 
sion, under the conduct of their ancient leader, they 
(the wicked) will in their EBSUERECTION-STATE, 
be easily persuaded to go up against the church. 
But the encampment of the saints is unassailable, 
16 



182 

and the beloved city safe. Zion's captivity, one iJiou' 
sand years ere tliis^ had ended. The triumph of the 
wicked long since had passed. Fire coming down 
from God out of heaven shall devour them, and the 
devil that deceived them shall be cast into the fiery 
and sulphureous lake, where the beast and the false 
prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night 
forever and ever. Eev. xx. 9, 10. 

Finally, the KINGDOM of which we are speak- 
ing — which shall never be destroyed — which suc- 
ceeds the destruction of Antichrist and all the 
wicked — which shall not be before the termination 
of the present age or dispensation — which is not 
a season of grace and conversion as millenarians 
properly so called^ have taught — the first thousand 
years, however, of which is, shall I sa}^, the true 
millennium, at all events the world's great Sabbath — 
this KINGDOM will not be introduced quietly, 
calmly, gradually, like the spiritualist's (dream) mil- 
lennium. But it will be introduced by the fires, the 
burnings, the explosions and the thuhderings of the 
last Day, preceded by appalling judgments, disease, 
death, insubordination, insurrections, revolutions and 
wars among the nations, the most frightful, deadly, 
and desolating that ever visited this sin-cursed 
world. Eev. xiv. 17-20 ; Eev. xvi. 17-21 ; Eev. xix. 
17-21. Egypt's hosts standing in the way of, or re- 
belliously, wickedly and foolishly interposing a hin- 



SUCCEEDS THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST. 183 

derance to the accomplishment of God's great and 
gracious purposes, fell — -were swept away, prepara- 
tory to the introduction of the Mosaic economy. 
The unbelieving and wicked Jews fell, to make way 
fully, for the new and better, or Grospel Dispensation. 
But now a wicked world shall fal\ that the kingdom, 
and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom 
under the whole heaven, may be given to the people 
of the saints of the Most High. Cyrus overthrew 
the first of the Gentile governments, and gave it to 
the Medes and Persians. Alexander overturned the 
second, and transferred all authority to the Macedon- 
ians. Eome, "dreadful and terrible, and strong ex- 
ceedingly," subjected the residue of the third, and in 
some form has ruled despotically, and fearfully, to 
this day, Jesus the King of kings, who will yet add 
to his many crowns, the crown of the whole earth — 
Jesus himself will destroy the last (Eome) beastly 
government, and there will be an end of Gentileism 
for this world, and forever. The fierce Gentile sol- 
diery lay thick in death, in and around Belshazzar's 
palace. They covered the bloody fields of Granicus, 
Issus, and Arbela. Their carcasses infected the air, 
on the battle fields in the East — in Syria, Palestine 
and Egypt, where old Eome's legions triumphed. 
But in this controversy, which the Lord has with all 
nations, when he shall plead with all flesh — 'Hhe 
slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end 



184 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED, ETC. 

of tlie eartli even unto the other end of the earth ; 
they shall not be lamented" (there will be none left 
to weep), ^^ neither gathered" (God's children alone 
have this hope), " nor buried ;" (who should perform 
the rites of sepulture ?) " they shall be dung upon 
the ground." Jer. xxv. 33. 



CHAPTEE YIII. 
PART II. 

THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL KOT BE DESTROYED — 
ITS ORIGIN. 

Who shall set up and establish this KINGDOM? 
Nebuchadnezzar set up the first in the succession of 
governments noticed in this chapter (Dan. vii.). 
This is correct, and sufficient for our present purpose. 
"We cannot here enter minutely into the acts of his 
father, who secured Babylon's independence, with 
respect to Nineveh or the Assyrians. Nor have we 
aught to do in this place with the mutual relations 
and wars, &c., of Babylon and Assyria, during a long 
succession of ages and centuries preceding. But to 
resume. Nebuchadnezzar was an idolater and perse- 
cutor, at least in the earlier periods of his reign. 
His government partaking of his character, was 
idolatrous and persecuting also, and hence, and for 
this reason, a beast was its emblem. Darius, or per- 

16* • 



186 

haps rather Cyrus, established the second. A least 
symbolized it also, and for the same reason as the 
preceding, because it was idolatrous and persecuting. 
At all events Zion was in captivity to it, and Israel, 
or the church, humanly speaking, near destruction, 
and only saved from utter annihilation by the 
gracious and marvellous interposition of Heaven. 
Alexander the Great, so called, originated the third. 
A least was its symbol. He breathed threatening 
and slaughter against the church, or, which amounts 
to the same thing, against the people who then con- 
stituted it, and who were only preserved from the 
wrath of this idolatrous and furious king by the 
overruling hand, or wonderful and wonder-working 
providence of God. Romulus, &c., laid the founda- 
tion of the fourth monarchy, and a succession and 
combination of wicked, carnal, Christlcss men, the 
fourth in the phase which it has presented these 
many centuries, and infidelity will, I apprehend, give 
it its last development, when it will stand forth 
revealed, "that man of sin," the "son of perdition," 
whom the Lord "shall destroy with the brightness 
of his coming." 2 Thes. ii. But the KINGDOM 
which succeeds to this last, tlie God of heaven shall 
set up^ and it shall never le destroyed. Dan. ii. 4 J:. 

There is a great, a mighty difference, then, in the 
origin of these kingdoms. Creatures, sinful and 
imperfect, hj permission originated the first four, but 



ITS ORIGIN. 1S1 

this last has tJie God of heaven for its ctutJior. The 
God of heaven is the infinite, the self-existent, 
eternal, immutable, omnipotent and independent; 
the omnipresent, omniscient, holy, just, merciful, 
benevolent and good ; the only wise, living and true 
God, who dwelleth amid light unapproachable, who 
alone hath immortality, and to whom be glory and 
dominion forever. How different must not be His 
work from that of man! His KINGDOM, from 
mere human governments ! Lo ! every perfection is 
his. He is the creator of all, of the heavens and of 
the earth. Our bodies are his workmanship. Our 
spirits, shorn of their primal magnificence by sin, 
but still great in their ruin, are his creation. He 
formed the highest intelligence nearest the throne 
and the creeping thing also ; the insect and the 
seraph. He is the universal benefactor. His smile 
enraptures the most exalted, His bounty feeds the 
most insignificant. He governs all. The clouds are 
his chariot. He rides upon the wings of the wind. 
He holds the wave in the hollow of his hand. 
Thunders wait his pleasure. Tempests serve him. 
The fiery flames obey him. Nothing transpires in 
his boundless dominions, nor yet can anything 
happen without his knowledge, permission, and con- 
trol. Does an atom change position? he gives it 
motion. Is a blade of grass matured? he gives it 
perfection. Does a ray of light pass through space? 



188 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

he directs it. Does a world apostatize, or do angels 
fall ? his overruling hand is there. ^' He breathes in 
every wind ; thunders in every storm ; wings the 
lightning ; pours the streams and rivers ; empties 
the volcano ; heaves the ocean, and shakes the 
globe." Nevertheless, the God of heaven, without 
whom, and independent of whom, as we have seen, 
not anything can transpire, has yet 'permitted many 
things, in the moral universe especially^ which are 
opposed, or contrary to his pleasure. By an exertion 
of his power, which knows no limit, he might have 
hindered them. lie did not, and icherefore not^ is one 
of the secret things which belong unto God. But 
of this one thing we may ever be sure; that the 
great design of God in all things is, to do good, 
boundlessly and forever, and to disclose himself as 
the boundless and eternal good. He permitted 
angels to fall. He permitted Satan to enter Eden's 
hallowed precincts, and tempt our first parents. He 
permitted the apostasy of Adam andf Eve. He has 
permitted this otherwise beautiful earth to be 
morally (for physical evils in man are only conse- 
quences flowing from moral delinquencies) a lazar- 
house of corruption, for near six thousand years. 
Though the field from which have been gathejed the 
trophies of God's marvellous grace, yet on it (viz., 
earth) men have blasphemed the great and glorious 
name of the Lord their God. On it, impurity, 



ITS ORIGIN. 189 

drunkenness, treachery, fraud, yiolence and murder, 
have run riot. On it, the fiend of war has waded 
through human blood, trampled on human corpses, 
in every age, and in every land, emptying earth, 
and peopling hell. On it idolatry has prevailed and 
flourished. Instead of worshipping Jehovah, men 
have worshipped devils, beasts, vegetables, each 
other, gods molten of silver and gold, and idols 
hewn out of wood and stone. And finally, God has 
'permitted a siiccession of governments on earth, freely 
chosen by wicked man, but he reserved unto himself 
the right to overturn, and overturn^ one after the 
other, and when he shall have annihilated the last^ 
then, as we have seen, he will himself set up a 
KINGDOM. 

The positive declaration, *'And in the days of 
these kings shall the God of heaven set up a king- 
dom, which shall never be destroyed" (Dan. ii. 44), 
already referred to, or quoted, might suffice, but that 
we may be more fully certified as to the origin of 
this KIKGDOM, let us follow the prophet somewhat 
more minutely, through several verses of this (7th) 
chapter. " I beheld till the thrones were cast down" 
(v. 9) ; i, e., the prophet in vision looked on, until he 
saw the thrones of the beasts, or the idolatrous, per- 
secuting governments overthrown. " And the An- 
cient of days did sit" (v. 9). God the Father is so 
denominated in this place. He sat in judgment, 



190 THE KINGDOM TVHTCH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

especially on the last of these poAvers. His appear- 
ance was venerable and majestic^ His " garment 
was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the 
pure wool ; his throne icas lihe the fiery flame, and 
his wheels a^ the burning fire" (v. 9). "A fiery 
stream issued and came forth from before him : 
thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten 
thousand times ten thousand stood before him," 
(v. 10). These were all ministering spirits — angels 
who waited to do his pleasure, whether of judgment 
or of mercy. It is his glory to be thus attended, 
numerously and cheerfully; and it is his glory to be 
dependent on, to need none of these, to be absolutely 
independent of all. " The judgment was set, and 
the books were opened" (v. 10), i, e., the judgment 
of the last beast, or rather of the " little horn," 
whose rise, speech, and acts, fill so large a space in 
this chapter. *' I beheld then, because of the voice 
of the great words which the horn spake : I beheld 
even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, 
and given to the burning flame. As concerning the 
rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken 
away : yet their lives were prolonged for a season 
and a time," v. 11, 12. ^' When the dominion w^as 
taken away from the rest of the heasis^^^ says Bishop 
Newton, ^' their hodies were not destroyed, but suf- 
fered to continue still in being : but when the do- 
minion shall be taken away from this least^ his hody 



ITS ORIGIN. 191 

sliall be totally destroyed ; because other Idngdoms 
succeeded to those, but none other earthly kingdom, 
shall succeed to this." " I saw in the night visions, 
and behold, one like the Son of man," i, e., our Lord 
Jesus Christ, '^ came with the clouds of heaven," v. 
13. Christ will thus come at the end of this age or 
dispensation. He ascended in a cloud. He will 
come with clouds. Acts i. 9, 11 ; Eev. i. 7. The 
prophet, to whom was graciously vouchsafed a 
knowledge of things future, in vision, saw him 
come to the Ancient of days, and brought near be- 
fore him (v. 13), " and there was given unto him 
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, 
nations, and languages, should serve him : his do- 
minion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not 
pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be 
destroyed," v. 14. The origin, then, of the kingdom, 
of which we are here speaking, is unmistakably 
manifest — it is not of man, but it is of God, On the 
words of this verse (14th) '' his dominion is an ever- 
lasting dominion," Dr. Clarke has this comment: 
" Christianity shall increase, and prevail, to the end 
of the world ! ! ! " This everlasting dominion will 
only then he given^ when Christ comes with the clouds of 
heaven. But he will only thus come, at the end of 
the world — at the final day, at the day of universal 
Judgment. How puerile, then, such interpretations 
of prophecy as that just referred to, yet, how many 



192 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

equally absurd, are strenuously advocated, and 
eagerly embraced, whilst the true intent of the 
sacred record is wholly misapprehended, disregard- 
ed, and in effect rejected. 

Our object, viz : to show the origin of the king- 
dom which is to succeed the governments symbolized 
by beasts and horns, being accomplished, it may not 
be amiss, after contemplating so much that is melan- 
choly, to note some of the characteristics or peculi- 
arities of this KINGDOM, whose estahlishment is not by 
permission only, or of the loill of man, but a direct 
act of Heaven. 

In this KINGDOM there will be no war, to spread 
w^ide the miseries of dismay, pkmder, slaughter, and 
devastation. Then will the prophet's prediction, in 
reference to earth's inhabitants, be literally and glo- 
riously fulfilled : " Neither shall they learn war any 
more." Isa. ii. 4. Those who maintain the spiritual 
reign of Christ during their so called millennium, as 
many of those also who advocate his personal reign, 
during one thousand years, teach that at the termina- 
tion of that happy period, there will be a great apos- 
tasy, or falling away from Christ, and a marshalling 
of hostile armies, &c. These commonly received 
opinions of the millennium must then be unscrip- 
tural, and ought to be abandoned, for in the face of, 
or in direct opposition to the divine record, they 
teach, that the people will learn tear again. But to 



ITS ORIGIN. 193 

return. In this kingdom there will be no more mar- 
shalling of nations — of hostile hosts for mutual de- 
struction. No marching armies, whose track is 
marked by desolated lands, smoking villages, ruined 
cities, mangled corpses, and new-made and scarcely 
covered graves, attracting the hyena, the vulture, 
and the wolf. 

In this Kingdom, " the inhabitant shall not say, I 
am sick." Isa. xxxiii. 24. The pestilence which 
walketh in darkness, and which wasteth at noonday, 
will be no more. Death (physical) will, ere its es- 
tablishment, have slain and removed his last subject, 
and the grave have swallowed up its last victim. In 
it, everything will live^ and not only live, but grow, 
and flourish, and bloom, without interruption or de- 
cay. Immortality will light up every eye. Immor- 
tality will beam from every countenance. Life ver- 
nal and immortal, will be the delightful heritage of 
all the children of the KiNaDOM. 

In this Kingdom, there will be no more selfish- 
ness. Every individual will fully realize the import 
of the Saviour's declaration, "it is more blessed to 
give than to receive." Under this influence, all 
hearts, and all hands — all the mighty faculties and 
unwearied efforts of all its citizens, will be com- 
pletely and eternally occupied in doing good. 

In this Kingdom, there will "be no more curse." 
Eev. xxii. 3. There will be no sin committed 
17 



194 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

by any of its subjects, to occasion a curse, and con- 
sequently no wrath in God. Once he was offended 
with them, on account of sin. But in the time ac- 
cepted, in the day of their merciful visitation, they 
confessed their sins, and they found him faithful and 
just to forgive their sins, and to cleanse them from 
all unrighteousness, through the mediation and 
merits of the Eedeemer. Perfectly and eternally 
secure they all are, and will be, against every degree 
of separation from God. On earth, ^. e., in the pre- 
sent age or state, the heirs of the kingdom, some- 
times complain with Job, " Behold I go forward but 
he is not there, and backward but I cannot perceive 
him. On the left hand where he doth work, but I 
cannot behold him : he. hideth himself on the right 
hand, that I cannot see him." But in the King- 
dom — in the New Jerusalem, its metroioolis^ God 
*^ will dwell with them," (Rev. xxi. 3), and they shall 
enjoy his presence forever. 

In this Kingdom, finally, there shall be no night. 
No natural night, such as we experience when the 
sun is absent, in which the afflicted count the long 
hours of darkness, and si^'h for the returnino; lio-ht — 
in which thieves break through and steal, and in 
which revellers are drunken. There will be no 
spiritual night, such as now broods over the unevan- 
gelized nations, such as now envelops the unregene- 
rate soul. No ignorance. No error. No night of 



ITS ORIGIN. 195 

affliction, temptation, oppression, desertion, and sor- 
row. The eternal night will not cast its dark and 
deadly shadow upon any portion of this bright land. 
The blackness of darkness is peculiar to the bottom- 
less pit. The hIacJcness of darkness forever, has no 
relation, or reference at all, to the saints. It is the 
portion of the final enemies of the Most High — of 
the rejecters of Christ — of those who resist the Holy 
Ghost, of all the contemners of God's marvellous 
grace. 

The kingdoms which preceded this^ were distract- 
ed often. Melancholy, stormy, bloody governments 
were they. Oppression, carnage, devastation, and 
decay, characterized them. They were compara- 
tively Bedlams, in which chains clanked, in concert 
to chains, and to rage and blasphemy. Crimes 
haunted them. Fiends in human form filled them. 
But in the kiitgdom which is to come, which the God 
of heaven will set up^ all will in the most exact 
sense, love the Lord their God, with all their 
heart, and with all their soul, and with all their 
strength, and with all their understanding, and they 
will love each other as themselves. The ransomed 
of all nations will be one bright sparkling jewel, 
reflecting only, and always, the image of Christ. 
Sin will be banished forever. The last tear wiped 
away from every eye, by the divine hand. The 
" tabernacle of God " shall be with men. This king- 



196 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED, ETC. 

Do:\i shall never be invaded by any disturbing prin- 
ciple, nor the harmony of its citizens interrupted. 
Peace divine and eternal, will breathe her balmy in- 
fluence over every happy spirit. The voice of con- 
tention will be hushed. There will be no more sea. 
Confusion and noise, and garments rolled in blood, 
shall be no more. 



CHAPTBE VIII. 
PART III. 

THE KIKGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DE- 
STROYED — WHEiq" SET UP. 

When will this KiN'GDOM he set up? It will be 
established wben tlie last of the governments, repre- 
sented by beasts and horns, in this 7th chapter of 
Daniel, shall have passed away — when the very last 
of them (the Anti-Christ), is "slain, and his body 
destroyed, and given to the burning flame," v. 11. 
The Gentile governments mnst all be swept away, as 
the chaff of the summer threshing-floor, and no 
place be found for them (Dan. ii. 35), ere the glori- 
ous things spoken of Zion shall all be accomplished. 
The seventh, or last trumpet must sou.nd, before the 
great voices in heaven are heard, saying, " The king- 
doms of this world are become the hingdoms of our 
Lord, and of his Christ ; and he shall reign forever 
and ever," and in consequence of which, the four 

17^ 



198 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

and twenty elders fall upon their faces and worship 
God, saying, " We give thee thanks, O Lord God 
Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; be- 
cause thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and 
hast reigned." Eev. 11. At this era, there will be 
wailings among the kindreds of the earth, and dis- 
may among the kings, and the great men, and the 
rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty 
men, and every bondman, and every freeman, and 
the nations will be angry, and there will be blood, 
and war immediately preceding the setting up of this 
Kingdom, such as there was none since men were 
on earth, and slaughter, and carnage, altogether un- 
paralleled in the annals of time. But there will also 
be rejoicings, and raptures, and transports, such as 
the world never witnessed, and gratulations, and 
songs of triumph, such as were never heard, for 
when the Lord God Almighty's wrath comes, and 
he destroys " them which destroy the earth," then, 
also, will be the time for giving reward to his ser- 
vants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that 
fear his name, small and great. Eev. xi. 18. This 
reward, the occasion of joy so great, we need not 
say, Avill be worthy of the Giver — rich, full, bright 
as heaven, and enduring as eternity. Yea, it is God 
himself, " and God himself shall be with them, and 
he their God." In the lano-uao-e of another, "God 
shall be seen in that present Christ so clearly, so 



WHEN SET UP. 199 

fully, so gloriously, as we have never seen him be- 
fore. That love, that once wept, and suffered, and 
died — that poured ont itself in tears, in groans, in 
agonies, in death — that sympathy, that wearied not 
in the sunshine, and that faltered not in the storm, 
and exhausted itself in no circumstances; that mercy 
that absolved the guilty; that power that calmed 
the hurricane, healed the sick, and raised the dead — 
whatever in Deity is mighty, benevolent, gracious, 
good — shall be luminous in the Lamb of God iipon 
his throne; and all this shall be ours — ours ever — 
unchangeably ours ! This is the height, and essence, 
and coronal of all the promises ; it is the focal point 
in which they all meet; it is the fulfilment of our 
deepest desires. That crown, that inheritance in 
light, that city of Grod, shall be ours ! All this is 
good, but it is not all good unless God shall be ours; 
and it will be so. This is better than all; for it 
comprehends and exceeds all." And again, if God 
say, " I will be to you a God," we expect that all his 
attributes will be the wall around us ; and so it will 
be: everlasting light and glory, and wisdom, and 
beauty shall ever flow into us like a sea ; each face 
shall be more glorious than the coimtenance of 
Moses. Nothing short of this would satisfy us; no- 
thing less than God can fill the vast capacities of an 
immortal soul. His gifts, and graces, and blessings 
cannot fill it — Deity alone can. It was so meant in 



200 THE KINGDOM WHICn SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

tlie beginning. This inheritance shall neither change 
nor fail. It is beyond the reach of the tides and 
transformations of time : " I am the Lord, I change 
not:" the highest excellency of the creature may 
change — "all flesh is as grass;" *'the world, and the 
fashion of it, passeth away." God remains an un- 
changeable, inexhaustible, and everlasting inherit- 
ance; overflowing with joy after the lapse of a 
thousand millenniums. Truly it is written, " Eye hath 
not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived, what 
God is to his people! Happy art thou, O Israel! 
Who is like unto thee, people, saved by the Lord, 
the shield of thy strength, and the sword of thine 
excellency." 

For the sake of perspicuity, we must again state, 
in a few words, what has already been written in 
this volume, viz : that the church existed contemjJO- 
raneously with all the Gentile governments, but the 
KINGDOM which the God of heaven shall set up 
(Dan ii. 44), and which shall never be destroyed, 
will succeed them. Except the last^ all these govern- 
ments have "their dominion taken away." V. 12. 
The "little horn," or Papal power, still exists, but 
with destruction seemingly not very remote. Eome, 
the great Babylon, " is withering down to her very 
roots in every part of the earth ; her real vigor and 
vitality are gone ; she is more and more recognized 
as a detected imposture, and kept up as a piece of 



WHEN SET UP. 201 

tlie pageantry of Europe, not as a power that makes 
nations stand in awe, or kings dread its opposition. 
In one country, ske is plundered ; in another 
resisted ; in another used as a tool ; and detested 
and despised in all." Its great, but brief Anti- 
Christian development (for popery and infidelity will 
yet unite their forces against the truth) is also yet 
future, when it will manifest itself, as " him whose 
coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, 
and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceiv- 
ableness of unrighteousness, in them that perish, 
because they received not the love of the truth, that 
they might be saved." 2 Thes. ii. 9, 10. The world's 
history, illustrated by prophecy, becomes a subject of 
exultation in our day, for all those who long, and 
sigh, and wait, and pray for the coming of the 
KINGDOM of God. So great a part of " the times 
of the Gentiles" having elapsed, when we ask, what 
of the night ? we take encouragement from the con- 
viction that the noon of night has long since passed. 
Our fathers, in ages remote, sat in the midst of the 
darkness ; we, their children, may with transport 
say, the morning cometh. 

This Kingdom will be set up when Christ shall 
have descended from his mediatorial throne ; conse- 
quently, when the last of our race, that is to be, shall 
have been born into the church, or added to the 
number of those who shall be saved; when all 



202 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

mankind shall liave existed that God originally pur- 
posed should exist, then (not before) will be the 
Kingdom. When sin shall have done its utmost 
and its worst; when virtue shall have suffered 
enough; when, through grace, the glorious register 
of immortality, contained in the Lamb's book of life, 
shall have been written out to the last line; then 
shall be the full development, the perfection, the 
Kingdom^ of which the cliiirch^ in all ages, and under 
all dispensations, contained the rudiments^ the first 
principles^ the germ. 

This Kingdom will be set up when " one like the 
Son of man" (v. 13) shall come with the clouds of 
heaven. The reference here is, unquestionably, 
to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Equally 
certain is it that the allusion is to his second ad- 
vent, and not to thej^r^^. The manner of his coming 
unmistakably designates icliich coming is intended. 
The first (though not without its wonderful and glo- 
rious concomitants, such as were vouchsafed at the 
birth of no mere human being, the announcing angel, 
the heavenly host, the guiding star, the worshipping 
magi) was without external pomp or circumstance. 
The second is to be with the clouds of heaven. Acts 
i., Eev. i. 7. At the appearing of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, he Avill judge the quick and the dead, and at 
his appearing and judgment will be his Kingdom. 
2 Tim. iv. 1. "And there was given unto him do- 



WHEN SET UP. 203 

million, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, 
nations, and languages should serve him. His 
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall 
not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall 
not be destroyed." v. 14. This the prophet saw in 
the night visions, and this is abundantly promised 
elsewhere in the sacred volume, viz : that Christ 
shall receive a kingdom. 2 Sam. vii. 16 ; Ezek. xxi. 
25, 26, 27; Acts ii. SO ; Luke i. 32, 33. 

God promised, that the house, or kingdom, and 
throne of David, should be established forever. Nothing 
could be more explicit. "And thy throne and thy 
kingdom shall be established forever." 2 Sam. vii. 
16. But in the progress of time, not to mention the 
defection of the ten tribes under Jeroboam, the lineal 
descendants of David ceased to occupy the throne 
of Judah, and to reign in Jerusalem, or, indeed, any- 
where else. In Zedekiah this termination of David's 
dynasty took place, who in the eleventh year of his 
reign was carried into captivity, when Nebuchad- 
nezzar took Jerusalem, and destroyed both city and 
temple. In reference to this last reigning prince of 
David's line, the Lord God spake thus, by the mouth 
of his prophet : " And thou, profane and vdcked 
prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity 
shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God ; remove 
the diadem, and take oft' the crown: This shall not 
be the same :# exalt him that is low^ and abase him that 



204 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and 
it sliall be no more^ until he come whose right it is ; 
and I will give it Aim." Ezek. xxi. 25, 26, 27. Now 
who has a right to the crown, and to whom shall it be 
given? Inasmuch as the omnipotent, the just and 
righteous God, has it in his own hands, and at his 
disposal, the crown will not be given to any without 
the proper title, but this no one can have, except he 
be of David's house. " The Lord hath sworn in truth 
unto David, he will not turn from it, Of the fruit of 
thy body will I set upon thy throne." Psalm cxxxii. 
11. The apostle Peter, on the day of Pentecost, 
preaching to the congregated multitude, applied this 
scripture to Jesus Christ, and he could not have 
erred, or been mistaken, inasmuch as he spake under 
the influence of the Holy Ghost. Speaking of David, 
he said, " Therefore being a prophet, and knowing 
that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the 
fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would 
raise up Christ to sit on his throne." Acts ii. 30. 
Christ, then, w^ho according to the flesh is the son of 
David, unquestionably is he who has the right to the 
crown, to the throne, and to the kingdom, which Da- 
vid's descendants forfeited and lost, by reason of their 
iniquities, and to Ilim, and not to another^ shall the 
throne be given. In him, David's throne and king- 
dom shall be established forever. ^' He shall be great," 
said the angel to Mary, '' he shall be great, and shall 



WHEN SET UP. 205 

be called the son of the Highest ; and the Lord God 
shall give unto him the throne of his fathter David : 
and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever ; 
and of his kingdom there shall be no end." Luke i. 
32, 33. All believers, I apprehend, admit this, but 
confounding the church with the Kingdom^ maintain 
that its fulfilment dates from the first advent of the 
Son of God, or from the establishment of the church 
of God on earth. But where is this written ? To 
the law and to the testimony. If our faith and 
opinions be not founded on the word of God, they 
are worth just nothing, they are wood, hay, and 
stubble, whose destiny is to be burned. I assert, 
then (and from the inspired record it may, I 
imagine, not be successfully contradicted), that 
Christ did not set up his Kingdom lefore his first 
advent. That he was God from the beginning, or 
from everlasting, and so the first cause, the creator, 
the ruler, the hing over all creatures and all worlds^ 
that is quite another question, and has no reference 
to the subject under consideration. But to proceed: 
Christ did not set up his kingdom when he com- 
menced his ministrj^. He proclaimed it as near at 
hand, but not as established. He did not set it up at 
any time during his indefatigable and glorious minis- 
try, or previous to his passion. His disciples, in 
common with their countrymen and nation, were full 
of the notion of a temporal kingdom, under the 
18 



206 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

Messiah, but tie gave no countenance to it. The 
men who had witnessed the astonishing miracle of 
feeding five thousand, with a few loaves, &c., were 
ready to take him by force, and make him king, but 
he escaped from them and departed into a mountain 
alone. John vi. And finally, he did not set up this 
kingdom, after his triumphant resurrection. His 
disciples pointedly asked him the question, '' saying, 
Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the king- 
dom to Israel ?" Acts i. 6. But he gratified not 
their curiosity, but answered them, " It is not for 
you to know the times or the seasons which the 
Father hath put in his own power." Acts i. 7. Two 
things are worthy of note in this answer, in this 
connection. First, the Saviour did not say that 
there Avas no kingdom at all to be established, 
and which is to be given to Israel, which I 
apprehend he would now have done, if the idea 
had been a baseless Ilebrew notion — a mere Jewish 
figment. He, in his answer to his disciples, left the 
idea of the Kingdom stand as a great truth^ and that 
it is to be given to Israel, though I imagine not to 
the Israel in the sense the disciples may have under- 
stood and used the word. Secondly, if the time had 
then been for the setting up, or establishment of this 
Kingdom, we can imagine no sufficient reason why 
he should not have told them plainly ; the evasive- 
ness of his answer is, under the circumstances, a 



WHEN SET UP. 207 

proof of its non-establisliment tlien^ or at that time. 
But beyond all this, he soon after departed; left his 
disciples, as respected his visible bodily presence, and 
went away to come again, and at his second coming, 
will the vision in v. 14 be fulfilled, and all similar 
prophecies have their accomplishment. The final 
Judgment will not be before the second coming of 
our Lord. He will then judge the quick and the 
dead, dispose of both the righteous and the wicked. 
At his command, heaven will open to his saints in 
that day, and the door of hell close on its odious, 
guilty, and miserable inhabitants forever. But as 
the final Judgment will not be lefore the advent of 
the Judge, so this Kingdom of which we are speak- 
ing will not be before the Judgment. In a word, 
the o.ppearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Judgment^ 
and the Kingdom will be together. 2 Tim. iv. 1. 

Finally, this KINGDOM will be set up, when all 
the great times and dates of prophecy shall have met 
and mingled in their close, which crisis seems now 
rapidly approaching. Prophecies were given to be 
read and studied, and it is idle, if not wicked even, 
to say that they were not intended to be understood ; 
so far, at least, as was necessary in every century, and 
for every age, and still more and more fully, until 
the consummation. If this nineteenth century does 
not witness, ere its close, the establishment of this 



208 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

Kingdom, then something unjorecedented in this vsorld's 
history ivill transpire; for the church joyous and 
glorious — for the enemies of Christ, disastrous and 
terrible ! "Never, in the prospect of what is coming 
on the earth, was man's position so solemn! But 
evil shall not gain the day. Truth and love will 
emerge from every conflict, beautiful, and clothed 
with victory. The days of infidelity and Popery 
are numbered. The waters of evil must soon ebb 
from the earth they have soiled. The approaching 
genesis will surpass in beauty and in glory the old. 
The Church of Christ will lay aside her soiled 
garments, her ashen raiment, and put on her bridal 
dress, her coronation robes ; and the nations will look 
up to her in admiration, earnest as the waves of the 
ocean rise up to the bright full moon enthroned 
above them. The sunrise of approaching day will 
strike the earth, and awaken its long silent hymns, 
and clothe creation's barest branches with amaran- 
thine blossoms. Poor nature, that has so long 
moaned like a stricken creature to its God from its 
solitary lair, shall cease her groans and travail and 
expectancy ; for God will wipe away her tears, and 
on her fair and beautiful and holy brow crowned 
and kingdomed, other orbs in the sky, her hand- 
maidens, will gaze in ecstasy and thankfulness and 
praise. * And God shall wipe aAvay all tears from 



WHEN SET UP. 209 

their eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither 
sorrow, nor crying; neither shall there be any more 
pain. And there shall be no night there. For 
these things are faithful and true.' " 



18* 



CHAPTER VIII. 
PART lY. 

THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DE- 
STROYED — ITS LOCALITY. 

As may already be sufficiently manifest, from the 
preceding, this KINGDOM (referred to in vs. 14, 22 
and 27, Dan. vii. chap.) and the lieaven of the ran- 
somed and blood- washed of the human family, are 
one and the sapie, and the millennium belongs to it, 
is a part of it, viz : the first one thousand years. 
Jifter the lapse of a thousand years, during which 
they who had part in theyi?'^^ resurrection shall have 
reigned with Christ, the " rest of the dead" shall live 
again, ^. e, they who are not "blessed and holy," shall 
have their resurrection, and tlien Satan shall be 
loosed, and go out as aforetime, to deceive them. 
But going up on the breadth of the earth, compass- 
ing the camp of the saints,- and the beloved city, the 
result will be, that fire shall come down from God 
out of heaven and devour them, and the devil who 



THE KINGDOM, ETC., ITS LOC2VLITY. 211 

deceived them will be cast into tlie lake of fire and 
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet 
are, and shall be tormented day and night forever. 
Eev. XX. After this digression, or recapitulation, we 
proceed with the subject immediately under consi- 
deration, viz : where shall this KINGDOM he estah- 
lished? I might ask, where were the preceding? The 
prophet having given no intimation, not even the 
remotest, of its transfer to another globe, or to an- 
other world, we are unavoidably left to the inference, 
that it will be established on Earth. If we said that 
the saint's rest, the Christian's heaven, the future and 
eternal home of the people of the Most High, is in 
the sun, or on some one or more of the bright stars 
which bespangle the firmament above us, a few weak 
visionaries might be delighted. If we tau.ght that it 
is somewhere beyond the stars, where the redeemed, 
clothed with victory, arrayed in their white, blood- 
washed robes, shall wear their bright crowns — where 
the ten thousand times ten thousand of the Lord's 
ransomed say, " Blessing, and honor, and glory, and 
power, he unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and 
unto the Lamb forever and ever" — in a word, the 
more uncertain the foca?% of the inheritance reserved 
for the saints, the more orthodox, and edifying even, 
should we perhaps appear unto many. This is me- 
lancholy. Alas that it should be so ! If, however, I 
should assert that this KINGDOM, identifying [it 



212 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

with the heavenly state, was to be, w^here all the pre- 
ceding were, viz : on Earth, many, if they gave ear 
at all, wonld only hear like the Athenian philoso- 
phers heard the great apostle to the Gentiles, that 
they might know what this babbler said. But why 
should not this earthy renovated, be the seat of the 
everlasting Kingdom spoken of in this prophecy ? 
Why should not earth, " in the regeneration," be the 
place of our future heaven ? True, the knowdedge of 
the place where heaven is^ is not essential to salvation. 
So we only have the requisite moral fitness, he who 
purchased heaven for us, will unerringly, and safely 
lead us thither. So we are only found clothed upon 
with the righteousness which is of faith in the Son 
of God, then shall we surely stand before the throne, 
and be numbered with those in whose midst Jesus is, 
who " shall feed them, and shall lead them unto liv- 
ing fountains of waters." Ilaving done his com- 
mandments, we shall be blessed indeed, shall have a 
right to the tree of life, and shall without fail enter 
in through the gate into the city. But surely we 
may ask: Is the locality of our heaven^ of the saints' 
inheritance^ a suhject of revelation? If it is, it cannot be 
good, it cannot be for the advantage of the soul to 
be without knowledge in this respect, as little as in 
reference to anything else that is revealed. But 
why should not Earth be the locality of our future 
heaven ? Where would Cliristians, the Lord's ran- 



ITS LOCALITY. 213 

somed, be so much at home as on eartli ? "What 
planet or world has the great Creator honored more, 
or so much as this ? What spot in the universe 
have the heavenly hosts regarded with interest so 
intense ? Did such mysteries and wonders as cluster 
around man's redemption, and as were witnessed on 
earth, transpire on any of the ten thousand bright 
worlds which revolve around Jehovah's bright 
throne? I speak to Christians. Let us beware of 
contemning, or of esteeming as insignificant, that 
which God has magnified. Little as our earth is — 
let me quote from another, " our earth already stands 
alone in the universe, and will stand forth in the 
annals of eternity illustrious for its fact without a 
parallel. It is the world on which the mystery of 
redemption was transacted. It is the world into 
which Christ came," assumed our nature, taught us 
the way of life, died for our sins, arose again for 
our justification, and to which he will come again, to 
judge the quick and the dead. "This is the event 
which over all our small planet sheds a solemn in- 
terest, and draws towards it the wondering gaze of 
other worlds. And just as, in traversing the deep, 
when there rises into view some spot of awful in- 
terest or affecting memory, you slack the sail, and 
passengers strain the eye, and look on in silent rev- 
erence, so, in their journeys through immensity, the 
flight of the highest intelligences falters into won- 



214 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

der and delay as they near this little globe. There 
is something in it which makes them feel like Moses 
at Horeb, 'let me draw near and see this great sight;' 
a marvel and a mystery here which angels desire to 
look into. It is a little world, but it is the world 
where God was manifest in flesh. And though there 
may be spots round which the interest gathers in 
most touching intensity; though it may be possible 
to visit the very land whose acres were trod by 
* those blessed feet which our offences nailed to the 
accursed tree ;' though you might like to look on 
David's town, where the advent took place, and on 
the hills of Galilee, Avhere his sermons were preached, 
and on the limpid Gennesareth, wdiich once kissed 
his buoyant sandals, and on the Jerusalem which he 
loved and pitied, and where he died, and on that 
Olivet from whose gentle slope the Prince of Peace 
ascended, I own that with me it is not so much Jeru- 
salem or Palestine as earth, earth herself. Since it 
received the visit of the Son of God, in the eye of 
the universe the entire globe is a holy land, and such 
let it ever be to me." Speaking of our earth. Dr. 
Gumming says : " I believe it is Christ's by purchase, 
and it shall be restored to its primeval beauty, and 
shall constitute that holy place of w^hicli it is said, 
' I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Al- 
mighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.' " And 
again he says : " It seems to me that this earth is the 



ITS LOCALITY. 215 

Mary, or the Martha, or the Lazarus amid the orbs 
of creation ; it is the planet ^ which Jesus loved,' 
and to show that he did so, he has carried a portion 
of its dust into the presence of Deity ; a perpetual 
memento — a glorious pledge that creation shall be 
redeemed from its groans and rescued from its 
travails ; and having been pronounced ^ good' when 
it was made, shall be pronounced again ^ very good' 
when it shall be finally restored." 

Without maintaining, or at all supposing, that the 
ransomed will be absolutely restricted to one parti- 
cular place, and , may not visit other regions and 
other worlds, by divine direction or permission, I 
proceed to the biblical argument, and assert that the 
KINGrDOM which shall be given to him who shall 
come w^ith the clouds of heaven (vs. 13, 14), and 
which the saints shall possess forever, ivill he on 
earth. This is proven by the declaration of the 
Saviour, in his sermon on the mount — '^Blessed 
are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." 
(Matt. V. 5.) The promise is broad, direct, positive, 
full, and unmistakable. It is without qualification 
or limit, as respects the persons to whom it is given. 
The thing promised is specific ; it is the inheriting of 
the earthy and an inheriting which has not yet been, 
and is not now, but which shall he. Hitherto, the 
dominion of earth has belonged to, or rather has been 
usurped by others. Moreover, this promise not only 



216 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

has not been fulfilled, but its fulfilment, or verifica- 
tion is impossible in the present state, in time ; for if 
the meek should, from this hour, attain to that to 
which they never as yet have attained, viz: the 
ascendency on earth, how with the generations who 
sleep in their graves, and who have as valid a title 
to i\iQ promised inheritance as the present, or any suc- 
ceeding generation? Not unnecessarily to multiply 
words, this promise, like every other that is divine, 
must be fulfilled, but it only can find its verification 
in another state, viz: in the resurrection of the just- 
Again, that this kingdom (the saint's present hope, 
and future and eternal rest) will be on earthy is clear 
from one of the petitions contained in the Great 
Prayer, which our Lord himself taught his disciples: 
" Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as 
it is in heaven." Matt. vi. 10. Whatever the Sa- 
viour taught, or directed his disciples to pray for, 
must be attainable. But the will of God never was 
done on earth by man, since the apostasy, as it is 
done in heaven, and manifestly will not be, as long 
as the wicked continue, or as long as the tares grow 
among the wheat, which we know will be until the 
harvest, or the end of the world. As this consum- 
mation, so devoutly to be wished and prayed for, 
must be realized, but never was, and under existing 
circumstances cannot be, we must look forward to 
its realization ihen^ when all the tares (the wicked) 



ITS LOCALITY. 217 

shall have been gathered, and cast into the un- 
quenchable fire — when the kingdom is given to the 
saints of the Most High, and all dominions serve and 
obey him (v. 27); then^ and not hefore^ will this 
prayer be fully answered. But then God's will shall 
indeed be done on earth as it is done in heaven. 
Once more — that this kingdom will be on earth, is 
unansiverahly demonstrated^ from the welcome which 
Christ will give unto his people, the righteous, the 
multitude of the first born, even to all his saints in 
that day. ^^ Then shall the King say unto them on 
his right hand. Come, ye blessed of my Father, 
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world." Matt. xxv. 34. Cod not 
only created man at first, but created him on earth, 
and gave him dominion over all the earth. Cen. i. 
26. Now tJds^ viz: earth, is the only kingdom God 
ever prepared for man "from the foundation of the 
world." But this he did prepare^ and this kingdom 
he actually gave to him, but man forfeited his 
dominion, by the apostasy of the first Adam. To 
this KINGDOM, and to no other, all those who are 
recovered by the mediation of the second Adam 
(Christ) will be restored and welcomed, in the resur- 
rection and final Judgment — in the times of the res- 
titution of all things, when earth, emerging, bright 
and beautiful, from the last fires, shall have its 
hymns awakened, which its moanings, its groans, its 
19 



218 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

travail, and expectancy, had silenced for six thou- 
sand years. 

That this KINGDOM will be on earth, is farther- 
more manifest from the hope which the ransomed 
expressed in the new song, which John heard them 
sing, whilst prostrate before the Lamb : " Thou art 
worthy to take the book, and to open the seals 
thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us 
to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and 
tongue, and people, and nation ; and hast made us 
unto our God kings and priests ; and we shall reign 
on the earth." Rev. v. 9, 10. lliey did not reign 
ichile in the flesh. Many of them had been poor, 
despised, hated, and persecuted. Thei/ did not reign 
as disembodied spirits. They said, " We shall reign." 
They expected this as a future consummation. If 
they reigned, neither in the body, nor cut of the 
body, their reign must of necessity be in, or perhaps 
we should rather say, after the resurrection, on the 
one hand, and on the other, the locality is specified, 
viz : " on the earth." The land of sojourn — exile 
almost, of the saved, will be their future and eternal 
home. The scene of their sufferings and tribula- 
tions, the house of their rejoicing. The arena of 
their combat, and through grace of victory, the 
temple of their triumph. 

Before the earth, however, can be fitted for the 
everlasting Kingdom, it must pass through the fires 



ITS LOCALITY. 219 

of the Judgment day. God promised a new creation, 
— " For behold, I create new heavens and a new 
earth ; and the former shall not be remembered, nor 
come into mind." Isa. Ixv. 17. The apostle Peter 
admonishing Christians to holy diligence, in view of 
the dissolution by fire of the present state, or order 
of things, encouraged and comforted them at the 
same time, with the hope based on God^s pjromise^ of 
new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth 
righteousness. 2 Peter iii. 13. What God pro- 
mised by the mouth of his prophet — that which 
Peter looked for, according to this promise^ the apostle 
John in prophetic vision saw: "And I saw a new 
heaven and a new earth ; for the first heaven and 
the first earth were passed away.'' Eev. xxi. 1. But 
this promise, this hope, this vision, if they teach us 
anything, it is the interesting fact, that the future resi- 
dence of the redeemed is Earth— earthy now " so wicked 
and sin-tainted, that it must pass through the fire, 
withal so consecrated and dear to heaven, that it 
must not be destroyed, but a new earth with right- 
eousness dwelling in it, shall perpetuate to distant 
ages its own amazing story." 

Finally, Canaan, the promised land, was as every 
biblical student knows, a type of heaven — of the rest 
which remaineth for the people of God. It w^as 
promised to Abraham and to his seed : "And I will 
give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land 



220 THE KIXGDO?.r, ETC , ITS LOCALITY. 

wherein thou art a strano^er, all the land of Canaan, 
for an everlasting possession." Gen. xvii. 8. "Now 
to Abraham and his seed were the promises made." 
Gal. iii. 16. Who Abraham was we know, and who 
was mainly intended by his seed we know also. 
Hear the apostle : " He saith not, and to seeds, as of 
many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is 
Christ." Gal. iii. 16. The promise then, we repeat 
it, was made to Abraham, and to his seed, ^. e, to 
Christ. But Abraham never owned a foot of the 
land, save the cave of Machpelah, which he pur- 
chased from Ephron the Hittite as a place of burial. 
Gen. xxiii. Jesus was so poor, when traversing the 
hills and vallej^s of Palestine, prosecuting the great 
object of his divine mission, that he had not where 
to lay his head. Matt. viii. 20. They must yet in- 
herit, not elsewhere^ but HERE, to verify the promise 
— Abraham in the resurrection, Jesus at the sound- 
ing of the trumpet of the seventh angel. Eev. xi. 15. 
The seventh trumpet is the last, and at the last trump, 
shall be the glorious resurrection of the sainted dead, 
and the sudden change of the then living Christians. 
1 Cor. XV. 51, 52. Then (at the sounding of the 
seventh and last trumpet), and not lefore^ shall great 
voices be heard in heaven, "saying, the kingdoms 
of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, 
and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and 
ever." Rev. xi. 15. (See Appendix 2.) 



CHAP TEE YIII. 
PART Y. 

THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DE- 
STKOYED — ITS KING — ITS SUBJECTS — 
WILL THE JEWS BE KESTOEED? — ISRAEL'S 
RETURN". 

Its King will be Jesus Christ, the same who was 
in the beginning, who was with God, and who was God, 
and who was made flesh, and whose glory was beheld 
on earth, as the glory of the only begotten of the Fa- 
ther, full of grace and truth — the same, who having 
become incarnate, lived on earth, and taught, and suf- 
fered, and died, and arose again on the third day, and 
ascended into heaven, whence he will come again, 
to judge the quick and the dead, and at which reve- 
lation for Judgment, will be his KINGDOM. Isaiah 
said, " of the increase of his government and peace 
there shall he no end, upon the throne of David, and 
upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with 
judgment and with justice from henceforth even for- 

19* 



222 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

ever." Isa. ix. 7. "lie shall be called great," said 
Gabriel to Mary, "and sliall be called the Son of 
the Highest ; and the Lord God shall give unto him 
the throne of his father David. And he shall reign 
over the house of Jacob forever ; and of his kingdom 
there shall be no end." Luke i. 82, 33. The head 
of this kingdom, then, is demonstrated to be the very 
same, of whom w^e have already said, that he is 
King, viz : Jesus Christ. lie was the descendant of 
David according to the flesh, and to him, and to no 
other was the everlasting dominion and rule pro- 
mised. The very one, whom the unbelieving Jews 
took, and w^ith wicked hands crucified and slew, 
shall reign over the house of Jacob forever. They 
crucified "the Lord of glory." 1 Cor. ii. 8. " Who," 
asks the Psalmist, "is this King of glory?" and 
then answers, "The Lord of hosts, he {<s the King 
of glory." Ps. xxiv. 10. The apostle's "Lord of 
glory," and the Psalmist's " King of glory," are the 
same. The one who was crucified is king. Yes, 
Jesus, God over all blessed forcvermore— Jesus the 
son of David — Jesus the once slain on Calvary, 
Jesus the exalted above every name — Jesus who is 
now subduing by his grace, overturning and ocer- 
turning by his providence, consuming Popery by 
the spirit of his mouth, and who will destroy Anti- 
christ by the brightness of his coming, is hc/ to 
whom the prophet had reference when he said, " I 
rsaw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the 



ITS KING. 223 

Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and 
came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him 
near before him. And there was given him dominion 
and glory, and a KINGDOM, that all people, na- 
tions, and languages should serve him ; his dominion 
is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass 
away, and his kingdom that which shall not be de- 
stroyed." Dan. vii. IS, 14. 

We speak not now of Christ irrespective of his 
Mediatorship. Of course, we believe that he wears 
the crown of creation and providence, that he is, and 
ever was supreme^ the sovereign of this, and of all 
other worlds, of human beings, and of all other crea- 
tures. But we speak of Christ as God-incarnate, as 
Mediator^ to whom is to be given a KINGDOM at 
his second advent, or w^hen he comes " with the clouds 
of heaven." Now this king will diff'er widely from 
all the mere earthly sovereigns who ever ruled or 
governed men. They were sinners, polluted and 
vile, except when, or until renewed, sanctified, and 
saved by his grace. He is holy and undefiled. 
They were imperfect. He is perfect. They died. 
He liveth forevermore. They often were a plague, 
a scourge, and a curse. He is a blessing forever. 
They often were surrounded by guards, and walls, 
and unseen by their subjects. He will be in the 
midst of his people. They often lead their subjects 
to carnage, destruction, and slaughter. He will 



224 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

lead bis to living fountains of waters. They were 
human merely. He is divine. They were mortal, 
sinful men. He, though truly man, is without sin, 
and is the immortal God. 

The subjects of this Kingdom will be human 
beings in the resurrection. True, angels may, and, 
Ave believe, will mingle with the bright and happy 
throngs of the ransomed. But we have nothing to 
say of these now, and therefore repeat that the sub- 
jects of this Kingdom will be human beings, .the 
redeemed and blood-washed sons and daughters of 
Adam in their resurrection state. But the subjects of 
this Kingdom will not be the whole of the human 
race. Many in " the accepted time," and in " the 
day of salvation," would not have Christ to reigii 
over them, and hence, when the King comes, instead 
of meeting him with joy, or loving his appearing, 
they will seek to hide themselves, and say " to the 
mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from 
the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from 
the wrath of the Lamb," shrieking in the intensest 
agony, " for the great day of his Avrath is come ; and 
Avho shall be able to stand?" Rev. vi. 16, 17. These 
all will be outcasts from the kingdom of Christ. 
Nevertheless, there will be many saved, more saved, 
we hope, than are finally lost, even a multitude, 
which no man can number, out of all people, and 
kindreds, and tongues, and nations. To particular- 



ITS KING. 225 

ize, the subjects of tliis KINGDOM will be consti- 
tuted of people — 

Of every age or period of the world. The sainted 
antediluvian and the pious postdiluvian will sit down 
in this KINGDOM together^ and together swell the 
song, '* Thou art worthy," &c., " for thou wast slain, 
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of 
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, 
and hast made us unto our God kings and priests." 
Abel (whose blood cried from the ground unto God 
for vengeance upon the fratricide) will be there, and 
Enoch, who walked with God, and was not, because 
God took him, and Noah, who was a just man, and 
perfect in his generations. The patriarchs will be 
there, Abraham, the father of the faithful, and Isaac 
and Jacob. Moses, the great Hebrew lawgiver, who 
from Pisgah saw, but was not permitted to enter the 
earthly Canaan, will be there, together with all who 
lived, and loved, and feared, and worshipped God 
during the Old Testament economy. David also, 
who was a man after God's own heart, will have a 
place in the Kingdom, and Isaiah, the evangelical 
prophet, and Obadiah, w^ho preserved the prophets 
of the Lord, and Elijah, who ascended in a chariot 
of fire, and the once weeping Jeremiah, whose tears 
will then have been wiped away, and whose lament- 
ations will have been exchanged for rejoicings. And 
finally, JTohn the Baptist, beheaded to gratify the 



22G THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

revenge of an infamous woman, will be in tbe King- 
dom whose approach he proclaimed ; and the babes 
of Bethlehem, slaughtered by Herod's mandate ; in 
a word, all Christians, both small and great, all mar- 
tyrs, from Stephen, whose ransomed spirit went up 
amid a shower of stones, to the last saint, who may 
have breathed out his soul into the hands of Christ, 
from amid the dungeon's damp, the tortures of the 
rack, or the flames of the stake. The renewed and 
sanctified of our own generation will be there, our 
own dear Christian friends, the pious father, and the 
God-fearino; mother, tosrether with the little child 

O JO 

that agonized and expired in the cradle, and whose 
remains we deposited in the grave, in the hope of 
the better resurrection, and of a place in the new 
ivorJdj in which there is no grave, inasmuch as the 
inhabitants thereof die no more, for death can have 
no place where the tree of life blooms again, and 
bears fruit ancAV, and immortality flows on, and oa 
forever, in the pure river of life. 

Again, the subjects of this KINGDO]\[ will be 
constituted of people of every age (period of life), 
and of everj^ sex. The sainted patriarch of an hun- 
dred 3"ears will be found in the Kingdom of God, 
and the infant of days will be there, the fully matured 
man and the little child. The wives, too, of Noah, 
and of his sons, saved in the ark, and Sarah, the 
wife of Abraham, the friend of God, and Hannah, 



ITS SUBJECTS. 22 T 

the pious motlier of Samuel, \yliom she consecrated 
to God, and Anna, the prophetess, and the sisters of 
Lazarus, and the women who were last at the cross, 
and first at the sepulchre, together with the untold 
throngs of the daughters of Adam, who gave their 
hearts to Christ, who washed their robes and made 
them white in the blood of the Lamb, shall together 
walk the streets of the New Jerusalem, whose sky 
no night obscures, and no clouds overcast, in which . 
no moon shines, and no sun rises, because the Lord 
God Almighty and the Lamb are not only its tem- 
ple, but the San which never sets. 

Once more — the subjects of this Kingdom will be 
constituted of members of all Christian denominations, 
by which Christian denominations I mean every sect, 
partj^, or division of the church, which, though, it 
may have more or less of wood, hay, and stubble in 
its superstructure, is yet founded or built upon the 
rock (Christ), the true foundation. Those who deny 
the divinity of the Saviour, are not Christian^ are 
not worthy of the name, and I freely confess, that 
for those in Christendom who honor not the Son as 
they honor the Father, there must be less hope of 
salvation, than for the benighted heathen who never 
heard of Christ. But if people of every Christian 
denomination will be found in the Kingdom, how 
ashamed then will those Christians be (if it be 
possible to feel shame in heaven), who seemed to 



228 

imagine that none but tliose of their own peculiar 
sect or party would enter into life, when they behold 
many of every name, coming from the east, and from 
the west, and from the north, and from the south, 
and sitting down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob 
in the kingdom of God, whilst some, perhaps not a 
few of those who pronounced their shibboleth on 
earth, are shut out, are excluded from the heavenly 
rest. All^ then, who belong to Christ, to the church 
of the living God, and who shall inherit the King- 
dom togetlier^ should here on earth put away all angry 
strife about minor things, and let charity (brotherly 
love) abound. *' There is," as one has well said, 
^^ there is love enough on Calvary to lift the earth 
to heaven ; there is li^ht enouo-h at Pentecost to 
irradiate the wide world ; there is warmth enough 
on the heartlistone of our Father's house to make 
every heart glow with ecstasy and thankfulness! 
Let us rather quench than kindle the fires of passion. 
Let .us pray that the temperature of our Christian 
life may be so raised, that we shall neither see nor 
feel the petty scintillations of angry quarrels." 

'' Between us aU let oceans roll, 
Yet still from either beacli 
The voice of blood shall reach, 
More audible than speech, 
'We are one.' " 

People of every nation will be found in this King- 



ITS SUBJECTS. 229 

dom. Columbia's painted tribes will be represented 
there. Many an American Indian has had his 
savage nature changed, has experienced the washing 
of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, 
has become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Not a 
few of Africa's dusky swarms will meet in glory. 
Asiatics and Europeans and islanders of the sea, an 
exceeding great multitude. And when these all 
meet in that bright and happy land, in the new vjorld^ 
it will not be with mutual hate, and for slaughter, 
and enslavement, and death ; but in love, and with 
joy, to drink together of the stream of the water of 
life, as it bursts from the fountain beside the throne. 

The subjects of this Kingdom, irrespective of 
nation, color, creed, sect, party or denomination, 
will be ^'the saints of the Most High," who ^* shall 
take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, 
even forever and ever." Dan. vii. 18. The saints 
are the holy ones, the justified and sanctified, from 
under or out of every dispensation, and these in their 
resurrection state^ " for flesh and blood cannot inherit 
the kingdom of God ; neither doth corruption inherit 
incorruption." 1 Cor. xv. 50. That which is mortal 
and transitory, as man is in his present state, is in- 
capable of inheriting, possessing, and enjoying that 
which is eternal. " When this corruptible shall 
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have 
put on immortality," and ^' death is swallowed up in 
20 



230 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

victory," then shall man be competent to possess an 
everlasting Kingdom, and not before. 

The subjects of this Kingdom, finally, will be con- 
stituted of all the house of Israel, even all of it. For 
all Israel shall be saved, i, e., not all the lineal or 
natural descendants of Jacob, for many of these, as 
others also, were unbelieving, disobedient, rebellious 
and wicked exceedingly, but all the true Israel shall 
inherit the KINGDOM, including or comprehending 
both the saints of Abrahamic origin, and the believ- 
ing Gentiles. *' They which are of faith," says Paul, 
" the same are the children of Abraham." Gal. iii. 
7. And again, *' So then they which be of faith are 
blessed with faithful Abraham." Gal. iii. 9. In a 
word, the language of the apostle to the Gentiles, or 
rather to the Christians of Gentile descent, is, "If ye 
be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs 
according to the promise." Gal. iii. 29. All of all 
nations, who work righteousness, are equally accepted, 
and acceptable to God. Through our Lord Jesus 
Christ, the Jew may be saved as well as the Gentile, 
and the Gentile be an heir of the Kingdom as well 
as the Jew. Though for wise and good reasons, the 
first offer of the gospel was made to the Jews, there 
is no precedence now, or if there is, the advantage is 
quite as much on the side of the Gentile now, as it 
was in the beginning on the side of the Jew. 

Having said thus much of the subjects of this 



WILL THE JEWS BE RESTORED ? 231 

Kingdom, which Kingdom we regard as the same 
(almost) with the millennium. The millennium is the 
first thousand years of the everlasting kingdom, and 
as the conversion and restoration of the Jews to their 
own land are inseparably associated with the mil- 
lennium in the minds of Christian writers on this 
subject generally, let us here, somewhat minutely 
and specially, investigate this opinion, whether it be 
founded on the Scripture of truth, or whether it be 
a mere figment, originating, perhaps, from Scripture 
misunderstood in the first instance, and afterwards 
adopted without proper reflection, or due investiga- 
tion. 

All, or nearly all Christians, judging from their 
writings and conversation, believe in a millennium to 
come. They use the word with the utmost fre- 
quency, and with a vagueness, too, which in some 
parties is truly surprising. Some speak of the 
millennium as signifying a period of three hundred 
and sixty-five thousand years. This is, to say the 
least, simply an ahsurdity. Some again speak of it 
as a period long, indeed, but of an indefinite length. 
This, also, is sheer folly. Millennium means a thou- 
sand years^ definitely, neither more nor less. A thou- 
sand years is the meaning of the term millennium. 
Those have not been wanting who have taught that 
the millennium is already past ! I confess that I 
have no patience with an opinion so unreasonable. 



232 THE KINGDOM WIJICII SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

There have been nearly six millenniums (millennia) 
since the creation of our first parents, according to 
the received chronology, only one hundred and forty- 
four years less. But THE MILLENNIUM is a i^ar- 
ticular thousand years, yet future, the world's great 
SABBATH, yet to come. Some Christians main- 
tain that Christ's advent will be pre-millennial, others 
that it will be post-millennial. The latter teach that 
the millennium will usher in the coming of Christ, 
the former, that Christ will usher in the millennium. 
But most regard the conversion, or both the conver- 
sion and restoration to their own land of the Jews, 
at a?zc7cZi^nng^ the millennium, as the rjreat characteristic 
of that glorious era. They seem unable to form a 
conception of the kingdom of God, as distinct from 
the Jews, as though they were essential to it, as if 
the Almighty were dependent upon them, or as if 
there was a glorious reward in reversion for them 
for their long, and obstinate, and wicked rejection of 
the Messiah. Whether the Jews will ever be gene- 
rally or universally converted to Christ, we will not 
speak of now. They have an equal opportunity to 
become Christians with the Gentiles, and I suppose 
their conversion to Christ may be comparatively 
about the same numerically. 

Bat are the Jews nationally, to return to Palestine? 
So it is believed by many. This consummation, many 
teach, will be at and during the millennium. Many 



WILL THE JEWS BE RESTORED? 233 

passages of Scripture are quoted, as proving this 
restoration^ as e. g.^ " And say unto them, thus saith 
the Lord God : Behold I will take the children of 
Israel from among the heathen whither they are 
gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring 
them into their own land ; and I will make them one 
nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel ; and 
one king shall be king to them all ; and they shall 
be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided 
into two kingdoms any more at all. Neither shall 
they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor 
with their detestable things, nor with any of their 
transgressions : but I will save them out of all their 
dwelling-places, wherein they have sinned, and will 
cleanse them; so shall they be my people, and I 
will be their God. And David my servant shall be 
king over them ; and they shall have one shepherd ; 
they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe 
my statutes, and do them." Ezek. xxxvii. 21-25. 
" And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord 
shall set his hand again the second time to recover 
the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from 
Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and 
from Gush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and 
from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And 
he shall set up an ensign, for the nations, and shall 
assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together 
the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the 

20* 



234 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

earth." Isai. xi. 11, 12. ^'In those days the house 
of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and 
they shall come together out of the land of the north 
to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto 
your fathers." Jer. iii. 18. ^'And I will cause the 
captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to 
return, and build them, as at the first. And I will 
cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they 
have sinned against me ; and I will pardon all their 
iniquities, whereby they have sinned ; and whereby 
they have transgressed against me." Jer. xxxiii. 7, 8. 
These are esteemed strong passages, by the advo- 
cates of the Jewish literal, and national restoration, 
and are quoted by such with confidence, if not with 
an air of triumph, as unanswerabhj proving this very 
thing. But what do they mean? What is the im2')ort 
of tliese passages? That they set forth, or teach, an 
interesting and important truth, is manifest, or they 
would not be found in God's book. But I will 
demonstrate that neither these, nor similar texts, 
teach the doctrine which they are adduced to prove, 
viz: the Jews'' return to Palestine, Their conversion to 
Christ is another matter, though generally, I believe, 
in some way associated, by Christian writers on this 
subject, with their return to their oun land^ as it is 
called. That many of them will be converted, I 
hope, that some will become Christians in the future, 
as in the past, I believe, but that nationally they will 



WILL THE JEWS BE RESTORED ? 235 

persist in their rejection of Jesus of Nazareth, as the 
Messiah, and abide in unbelief, even unto the end, I 
greatly fear. But to proceed — they, viz : the pas- 
sages of Scripture above quoted and referred to, do 
not necessarily teach the literal and national return 
of the Jews to Palestine. The Moabites were judged 
for their pride, for their security, for their carnal 
confidence, and for their contempt of God and his 
people, "yet," said Jehovah, "I will bring again the 
captivity of Moab in the latter days." Jer. xlviii. 
47. So also of Amnion, "And afterwards I will 
bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, 
saith the Lord." Jer. xlix. 6. But where are Moab 
and Ammon, Their restoration from captivity, is, 
certainly, specifically, and unmistakably promised, 
yet it must have another than a literal import, 
whatever that may be, for they cannot be restored in 
the ordinary sense, inasmuch as they are not, and if 
restoration does not mean a literal national restora- 
tion, in their case, neither is it necessarily to be So 
understood in reference to the Jews. But some will 
perhaps say, that if Jehovah has promised a national 
and literal return from captivity, to Moab and 
Ammon, he will know how and where to find them, 
though man may not. But hear Jehovah's dread 
oath on the subject, uttered more than two thousand 
years ago: "Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of 
hosts, the God of Israel, surely Moab shall be as 



236 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

Sodom, and tlie children of Amnion as Gomorrah, 
even the breeding of nettles, and salt-pits, and a per- 
petual desolation." Zeph. ii. 9. Again, the passages 
above quoted do not, cannot prove the return of the 
Jews to Palestine, because such an interpretation 
would conflict with other portions of the sacred 
record, and the sacred Scriptures cannot contradict 
themselves. Speaking of Jerusalem, the metropolis 
of the Jewish people, the prophet, by divine direction, 
declared, or rather, God declared by the mouth of 
the prophet, *' When I shall bring again their cap- 
tivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, 
&c., then will I bring again the captivity of thy 
captives in the midst of them." '' When thy 
sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return 
to their former estate, &c., then thou and tliy 
daughters shall return to your former estate." 
Ezek. xvi. 53, 55. But Sodom is an utter and 
eternal desolation; fire from heaven consumed it, 
tlie waters of the Dead Sea for thousands of years 
have covered it. Sodom, manifestly, is to have no 
restoration^ and hence, as Jerusalem's restoration is to 
be, if we may so speak, contemporaneous with So- 
dom's, it will be NEVER. We must, then, look for 
another meaning than that ordinarily put upon these 
and all similar Scriptures, commonly adduced in 
support of the hypothesis, viz : the literal Jewish 
restoration to Palestine. Once more; the return (as 



WILL THE JEWS BE RESTORED ? 237 

a future fact) of the Jews to Palestine, is never spoken 
of in the sacred Scriptures^ at all. Why should it ? 
What more right has the Jew to that land than the 
Gentile? The remotest South Sea Islander has a 
title as valid, to that portion of Syria of which Jeru- 
salem was the metropolis, as the lineal descendant of 
Jacob. Both, as unbelievers, are equally aliens to 
the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the 
covenant of promises. Both, through grace, may 
become Christians, and, as believers, hoth are equally 
heirs of the Holy Land^ of which Canaan was the 
type. But, perhaps, some whose minds are preoccu- 
pied, warped, and prejudiced by this Jewish figment 
of the Jews' return to their own land, as they choose 
to call it, demur and dissent from this view of the 
case, and assert that the Jews have a good and valid 
title to Palestine by promise. Where is it ? Where 
Avill you find it ? Where is this promise written ? 
If it be found anywhere in the Bible, it must be 
in Genesis, chap. xvii. and verse 8: '^And I will 
give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land 
wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, 
for an everlasting possession ; and I will be their 
God." This is a promise made or given by God 
himself, and I believe it to be immutable, steadfast, 
and immovably sure as his throne. It is direct ; it 
is unmistakably plain, both as regards the thing 
promised, and the person, or persons, to whom. 



23 S THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

Yet, after all, it might be misunderstood. It has 
been misapprehended, though it ought not to be, 
with all the light and advantages we enjoy under 
the Gospel. This promise was given to Abraham 
and to^ his seed; this all admit. Now let an inspired 
apostle unfold to us its glorious import — let Paul 
explain it for us — " Now to Abraham and his seed 
were the promises made. He saith not. And to 
seeds, as of many; but as one. And to thy seed, 
which is Christ." Gal. iii. 16. Not the Jews, then, 
as such, but Christ is the HEIR. The lineal, or 
natural descendants of Abraham did, indeed, for a 
while, for good and wise purposes, actually reside 
in, and occupy Canaan, and but for their rejection of 
the Messiah, they might, perhaps, dwell there still. 
But when God had accomplished his good and gra- 
cious designs by them, and they nationally^ by their 
own free act, rejected the Messiah, became incorrigi- 
bly wicked and unbelieving, he, in judgment, scat- 
tered them to the four corners of the earth, and 
whilst they, through grace, equally with the Gentiles, 
may repent, and believe the Gospel — become Chris- 
tians, and thus obtain a title, in common with all 
believers, to the heavenly^ there is no promise in the 
Bible of their restoration to the earthly Canaan. 
But, again, whilst it is true that the promise (Gen. 
xvii. 8) is made to Abraham and to Christ, as ex- 
plained by an inspired apostle, it is true that others 



WILL THE JEWS BE RESTORED ? 239 

also, according to the same apostle, will inherit. 
Hear hirn : " For ye," speaking to, and of Christians, 
''for ye are all children of God, by faith in Christ 
Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized 
into Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither 
Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there 
is neither male nor female : for ye are all one in 
Christ Jesus. And if ye he Christ's, then are ye 
Abraham's seed, and heirs, according to the pro- 
mise." Gal. iii. 26-29. 

Again, as the return of the Jews to Palestine is 
not only extensively believed, but has also obtained 
the advocacy of many learned and eloquent pens, we 
may not dismiss this subject without at least a passing 
notice of one of the latest and most interesting writers 
on prophecy. Dr. Cumming, whom I have frequently 
quoted, often mentions the return of the Jews. It is 
to him a most interesting thought, a favorite idea. But 
on this subject, he is, I apprehend, inconsistent, cer- 
tainly most incomprehensihle to the reader who is desir- 
ous of gathering from him a clear view of this subject, 
or of his meaning. The reason of the want of per- 
spicuity in this behalf is because it is a mere fancy 
on the one hand, and on the other, the doctor evi- 
dently did not understand the subject, but with, and 
like many other writers, confounded the return of the 
Jews to Palestine, which is not promised, with the 



240 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

EETUEN OF ISRAEL to their own land, which is 
promised. 

Speaking of the resurrection, which will take 
place when Christ comes, and of the separations 
among the dead and the living, transpiring at the 
advent of the Son of God, he says (Lectures on the 
Apocalypse, first series, page 456), "Such, then, will 
be the awful severance that will take place when 
Christ shall come. They that sleep in Christ shall 
rise, and only they^ and they that are alive and live 
in Christ, and onhj tliey^ shall join them; and the 
dead, whose souls are not united to the Saviour, 
resting in their graves, shall remain ; the living, 
whose hearts are not renewed by the Holy Ghost, 
and with the Saviour, shall remain also. The instant 
that this earth has been thus consigned to be the 
habitation of the dead in soul, and the dead in body, 
the fire, &c., shall burst forth at a thousand orifices ; 
the gases that compose our atmosphere shall ignite, 
and * the heaven and the earth,' " meaning this visi- 
ble economy around us, " * shall melt,' in the language 
of the apostle, *as if with fervent heat.' Christ's 
people in the air, the people that are not Christ's on 
the earth, the living punished on it, the dead buried 
beneath it " Now all this I hold to be Biblically 
correct, clear, easily understood beyond the opinions, 
notions, and ideas of many professedly orthodox 
Christians, who have not sufficiently made this inte- 



WILL THE JEWS BE RESTORED ? 241 

resting topic a subject of study and meditation. 
Again, in the same " Series," page 450, lie writes : 
"If it be true, as I have likewise indicated, that 
twenty years more will introduce some of the last 
startling phenomena to which I have alluded — for 
it is remarkable that most prophetic interpreters 
take the nearest time of the first resurrection to be 
A. D. 1864, and the remotest to be A. D. 1885 — take 
the nearest or the remotest, I conclude that between 
those bounding periods, the dead saints, who are in 
their graves, shall hear the peal of the resurrection 
trumpet, and the living saints that are on earth shall 
hear it, too, and their hearts shall leap for joy ; and 
the dead in Christ, and they that are alive in Christ, 
shall meet the Lord in the air, and reign with him a 
thousand years." According to our first quotation 
from Dr. Cumming, there will certainly be an utter 
end of the present gracious dispensation at the ad- 
vent of our Lord, and according to the second, this 
consummation will be very soon. The reader, keep- 
ing these two facts in mind, will be the better pre- 
pared rightly to appreciate what he says in behalf 
of the return of the Jews. Speaking of them (1st 
Series, page 466), he says: " Poor, weary-footed wan- 
derer ! Give him, for a little, a home in your land ; 
let him, for a few days, have the possibility of it in 
the midst of you. I will promise he will not trouble 
you long. He is the denizen of a nobler clime ; his 
21 



242 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

heart leans toward Jerusalem, as tlie needle to the 
pole." Once more (page 376), "I believe they will 
be converted in a day, and as a nation ; but whether 
before or at the personal advent of Christ, I am un- 
able to say." And finally (page 376), ''Like streams 
from a thousand lands, they will roll towards Jeru- 
salem, there to testify against the murderous deeds 
of their misguided fathers, and to weep at the remem- 
brance of the evil spell of infatuation that bound 
them." 

Now, all that I have to say on this subject, and in 
this connection, is, that if the Jews are to be con- 
verted nationally, before Christ's personal advent, it 
must indeed.be very soon, as our author also pro- 
fesses to believe, for in comparatively a very few 
years, according to him, the catastrophe of this 
earthly system will have arrived — earth's Drama be 
finished. There are, however, no signs of their na- 
iional conversion as yet, on the one hand, and on the 
other, if they are to be converted at Christ's coming, 
there will, according to Dr. Cumming's teaching, 
in my first quotation, as also, according to various 
other portions of his writings, be no room for their 
conversion at all^ nor indeed for the conversion of 
anybody else, for there is then, instantly an end of 
this Dispensation forever. In a word, Dr. Camming, 
though he often refers to, and clearly states and 
asserts, the return of the Jews to Palestine, with 



ISRAEL'S RETURN. 243 

whicli tie associates their conversion to Christianity, 
yet he proves nothing in this behalf — he cannot prove 
anything from the sacred Scriptures, on this sub- 
ject However lucid, in reference to other things, 
here he is sadly confused, applying and referring to 
the natural^ the precious and glorious promises, 
which are peculiar to the true — to the spiritual Israel. 
(See Appendix 3.) 

Having said thus much, on the subject of the Jews' 
return to Palestine, which I have maintained is not 
contained, or taught in the Bible — neither in Moses, 
the Psalms, nor the prophets, I now assert that 
ISRAEL'S RETURN TO THEIR aWN LAND, 
IS PROMISED. ^' Behold, I will take the children 
of Israel from among the heathen whither they be 
gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring 
them into their own land." Ezek. xxxvii. 21. The 
Israel that shall return, are all \hQ faithful that have 
ever lived, from under every Dispensation, whether 
Patriarchal, Mosaic, or Christian — all Jew^s who were 
such inwardly, and whose circumcision was that of 
the heart and in the spirit, and aH believers in Christ 
of Gentile extraction, or of whatever lineage, for 
says Paul, " The Scripture, foreseeing that God would 
justify the heathen through faith, preached before 
the gospel unto Abraham, saying^ In thee shall all 
nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith 
are blessed with faithful Abraham." Gal. iii. 8-9. 



244 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

These and these only will be GATHEEED, AND 
WHENCE ? First, from among all people where 
they are scattered — on every side — they shall come 
from the east, and from the west, and from the north, 
and from the south, and sit down together in the 
Kingdom of God. They shall come from all lands, 
Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt, &c., and from all na- 
tions, for the church triumphant will be constituted 
of a great multitude, which no man can number, of 
all nations and kindreds, and people, and tongues, 
who shall stand before the throne, and before the 
Lamb, clothed with white robes and with palms in 
their hands. Eev. vii. 9. And again, they will be 
gathered out of their GRAVES. " Therefore pro- 
phesy and say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God ; 
Behold, my people, I will open your graves, and 
cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring 
you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that 
I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O 
my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 
and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, 
and I shall place you in your own land : then shall 
ye know that I the Lord have spoken it^ and per- 
formed it^ saith the Lord." Ezek. xxxvii. 12, 13, 14. 
Finally, there may perhaps be a restoration of the 
pious descendants of Abraham, in the ^'new earth" 
to that part of it called Palestine in the old^ and so 
with the saints of all other nations in reference to 



Israel's return. 245 

their respective lands, and thus there be a national 
restoration, thus understood. I will not, however, 
insist on this, nor particularize, but proceed to 
observe, that the LAND to which the true ISEAEL 
(all saints) will EETUEN, is not Palestine as it is — 
Palestine now trodden under foot bj the Gentile, but 
that of which Canaan was a type, viz : The Rest 
which remaineth for the people of God^ which rest will 
be found on earth purified and renovated, for earth 
renewed, as we have heretofore shown, will be the 
KINGDOM which the redeemed shall inherit, 
which the saints shall take and possess forever, 
even forever and ever. EARTH shall be the local- 
ity of their reign. And though earth in ^' the re- 
generation," will be the place where our Lord will 
plant his throne, yet in the language of the eloquent 
author whose error, as I regard it, in reference to 
the Jews' return, I have combated above, " I look 
for no sensuous millennium — no pagan Elysium. On 
the contrary, I would not have a millennium without 
Christ, but rather Christ without a millennium. The 
believer's safety is in Christ, and wherever Christ is, 
in the firmament above, or in the earth below, it 
matters not — there I desire to be, and there perfect 
happiness will be. But I believe this high happi- 
ness will be realized upon earth — restored and re- 
generated earth ; we shall enjoy a felicity and glory 
and a peace on this orb, in its resurrection state, 

21* 



246 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

which poet's imagination never dreamed of, and 
which painter's pencil would attempt in vain to 
embody. I believe that the groans of this wearied 
world shall close, that the cry of sorrow that has 
risen perpetually from its inhabitants shall be stilled 
forever ; that it shall cease to be an aceldama of the 
living, or a charnel-house of the dead. I believe 
that the simoom shall no more sweep its soil, nor the 
earthquake upheave it, nor the lightning's flash rend 
its trees any more. This earth shall put off* its 
ashen garments, and doff its raiment of sackcloth ; 
all creation shall cast aside from its eyes the dark 
shroud of sorrow that has dimmed them; and we 
shall see amid the glorious Apocalpyse, the sun that 
shall rise to set no more." *' Come Lord Jesus, even 
so come quickly." 

Finally, the duration and extent of this KING- 
DOM. It will endure forever. The prophet is very 
explicit and full on this subject; see verses 14, 18, 
and 27. The millennial portion of it will, of course, 
only continue oiie thousand years^ but the KINGDOM 
itself will remain, and remain, too, in the possession 
of the saints of the Most Iligh, "forever, even for- 
ever and ever." At the termination of the thousand 
years, wonderful occurrences will be witnessed, 
great and marvellous facts transpire, as, e. (/., the 
resurrection of the wicked, or of the "rest of the 
dead." Rev. xx. 5. Some will, perhaps, here ask, 



ITS DURATION AND EXTENT. 247 

How can this be ? Is it possible that earthy purified 
by the judgment fires, should still be the sepulchre 
of the bodies of the wicked? I answer, yes; it 
must be so, not only from the nature of the case, for 
they shall not live again until the thousand years 
have terminated (Rev. xx. 5), but also that this 
scripture may be fulfilled: "And ye shall tread 
down the wicked ; for they shall be ASHES under 
the soles of your feet, in the day that I shall do this, 
saith the Lord of hosts." Mai. iv. 3. But, to pro- 
ceed, I have said that, at the termination of the 
thousand years, great and marvellous facts will trans- 
pire, as, e, g,^ the resurrection of the wicked, and, I 
may yet add, their gathering together to battle, their 
compassing the camp of the saints, and the beloved 
city, and the coming down of fire from Grod, out of 
heaven, to consume them — the signal and eternal 
overthrow of Gog and Magog, and the casting of the 
devil who deceived them, into the lake of fire and 
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, 
and where they shall be tormented, day and night, 
forever. Eev. xx. Great changes, too, and glorious, 
may take place in the economy of the kingdom, 
which are not revealed; but enough; the KING- 
DOM itself, is "that which shall not be destroyed." 
Dynasties have changed, thrones have been over- 
turned, crowns have been trampled into the dust, and 
sceptres broken, but David's Son and David's Lord 



248 THR KINGDOM, ETC., ITS DURATION AND EXTENT. 

shall reign forever, his throne be forever, his crown 
forever, and the sceptre of his KINGDOM, a sceptre 
of righteousness, never to be broken. 

In extent, this KINGDOM will be universal- 
The antitype cannot be less than the type; Jehovah's 
grant to the king, signified by the ^'head of gold," 
ran thus: "For the God of heaven hath given thee 
a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And 
wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of 
the field and the fowls of heaven hath he given into 
thy hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all." 
Dan. ii. 37, 38. It will embrace the whole area of 
the preceding monarchies, or, in other words, the 
ivhole earthy but earth renewed^ on whose fair flowers 
the foul trail of the old serpent shall be ^qqw no 
more, and from which, consecrated by the presence 
of the great KING, plague, pestilence, famine, war, 
and battle will be banished, sin excluded, and the 
great anarchist, Satan, cast out forever. 



CHAPTER YIII. 
PART VI. 

THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DE- 
STROYED — ITS METEOPOLIS, OR THE NEW 
JERUSALEM. 

There is nothing said in this seventh chapter of 
Daniel of a city^ in connection with the KINGDOM, 
which shall succeed the Gentile governments, and 
which the Lord God shall set np, and which the 
saints of the Most High shall take, and possess for- 
ever, even forever and ever. But whilst there is 
nothing said of a city in this chapter, there is else- 
where in the sacred volume, in connection with the 
new statCj yet future ; and hence an inquiry on this 
subject is legitimate and proper, in this place. To 
our notion or conception of a kingdom, the ideas of 
a king and subjects are essential and inseparable, 
and almost, or quite equally so, the idea of a royal 
residence. The kitfg must be somewhere. God is 
the great King. The universe is his dominion. All 
creatures are his subjects — are supported, governed, 
blessed, sustained, regulated, ruled, and overruled 



250 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

by Him, "who telleth the number of the stars, and 
calleth them all by their names." He fills immensity 
and eternity^ yet of the Heaven of heavens we con- 
ceive as the peculiar and favorite place of his resi- 
sidence — as "the throne of God; the seat of uni- 
versal and endless dominion, where the divine 
authority is peculiarly exercised and made known, 
and the splendor of the divine government exhibited 
with singular effulgence and glory." Having pre- 
mised thus much, I remark that the Kingdom spoken 
of by the prophet, in this chapter (Dan. vii.), will 
have its metropolis; and, in proof hereof, I offer: — 
First, an argument draicn frora analogy. That this 
KINGDOM will have its metropolis, capital, or royal 
residence is rendered plausible, and may indeed, I 
imagine, be clearly inferred from the fact, that all the 
preceding kingdoms had their chief cities. The first 
in succession had its Babylon, with its defiant and 
seemingly impregnable walls, its temple, its lofty 
tower, its hanging gardens, and its gorgeous palaces. 
A great city, the glory of the kingdoms, whose beaut}^, 
strength, and magnificence, made it the wonder 
of the world. Enriched by the spoils of subjugated 
nations, Babylon seemed, in the day of her prosperity, 
exempt from the vicissitude and decline which are 
incident to other haughty piles of grandeur, the 
displays of human art, of human wealth, and of 
human power. But her pride and luxury, her 



THE NEW JERUSALEM. 251 

cruelty and sacrilegious impiety, wrouglit her down- 
fall, and caused her to share in the ruin of Sodom 
and Gomorrah. Again, the second, or succeeding 
kingdom, too, had its capital, like Thebes of Egypt, 
long since a desolation, and so also the third^ espe- 
cially in its divided state. The Ptolemies reigned in 
Alexandria in Egypt. The Seleucidse at Antioch 
in Syria, &c. &c. And finally, the fourth kingdom 
had Eome in Italy, in Europe, as its centre of power, 
and the "little horn," or the beast out of the sea, or 
Popery, the selfsame city. For Popery not only 
attained to the imperial power, bu.t also the dragon's 
seat. That^ then, which was common to all these 
governments successively, and not sinful per se^ with- 
out a declaration, or intimation at least, to the 
contrary, we should naturally look for also, in this . 
KINGDOM, but in surpassing beauty, undecaying 
permanency, and in transcendent glory — a City, 
which no enemy shall successfully beleaguer, no 
time waste, no fire consume — no earthquake shake 
down, in which man who suffered, and wept, and 
died, for six millennia, shall suffer, and weep, and die 
no more, monuments of the might and magnificence 
of grace divine, and pillars in the temple of our God. 
Secondly, the Biblical argument^ or the Scripture 
references to a city not of this Age, "For this Agar is 
mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem 
which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 



252 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the 
mother of us alU' Gal. iv. 25, 26. Again, "By 
faith he" (viz : Abraham) " sojourned in the land pf 
promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in taber- 
nacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of 
the same promise. For he looked for a CITY which 
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." 
Heb. xi. 9, 10. " And they went up on the breadth 
of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints 
about, and the beloved CITY." Eev. xx. 9. "And 
I John saw the holy CITY, New Jerusalem, coming 
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride 
adorned for her husband." Eev. xxi. 2. " And he 
carried me away in the spirit to a great and high 
mountain, and showed me that great CITY, the holy 
Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 
having the glory of God: and her light was like 
unto a stone most precious, even like unto a jasper 
stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and 
high, and had twelve gates, aod at the gates twelve 
angels, and names wTitten thereon, which are the 
names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel : 
On the east three gates ; on the north three gates ; 
on the south three gates; and on the west three 
gates. And the w^all of the city had twelve founda- 
tions, and in them the names of the twelve apostles 
of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a 
golden reed to measure the city, and the gates 



THE NEW JERUSALEM. 253 

thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth 
four sq uare, and the length is as large as the breadth ; 
and he measured the city with the reed, twelve 
thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth 
and the height of it are equal. And he measured 
the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, 
according to the measure of a man, that is, of the 
angel. And the building of the wall of it was of 
jasper : and the city was pure gold, like unto clear 
glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city 
loere garnished with all manner of precious stones. 
The first foundation tt;a5 jasper ; the second sapphire; 
the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 
the fifth, sardonyx ; the sixth, sardius ; the seventh, 
chrysolite ; the eighth, beryl ; the ninth, a topaz ; the 
tenth, a chrysoprasus ; the eleventh, a jacinth; the 
twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were 
twelve pearls ; every several gate was of one pearl : 
and the street of the city was pure gold, as it 
were transparent glass. And I saw no temple 
therein ; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb 
are the temple of it. And the city had no need of 
the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the 
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the 
light thereof. And the nations of them which are 
saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings 
of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. 
And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day : for 
22 



254 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

there shall be no night there. And they shall bring 
the glory and honor of the nations into it. And 
there shall in no wise enter into it anything that 
defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abonaination, or 
maketh a lie; but they which are written in the 
LamVs book of life." Eev. xxi. 10-27. "Blessed 
are they that do his commandments, that they may 
have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in 
through the gates into the CITY." Eev. xxii. 14. 
*' And if any man shall take away from the words 
of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away 
his part out of the book of life and out of the holy 
CITY, and/rom the things which are written in this 
book." Rev. xxii. 19. 

Now if there were no biblical references to such 
a CITY, or if the sacred Scriptures were altogether 
silent on this subject, all that we might say or write 
in this behalf, however ingenious or beautiful, 
would be the work of mere fancy — idle conjecture 
only, and for sound instruction, solid comfort, and 
well-grounded hope, just worth nothing at all. But 
the references and notices in Revelation are, as we 
have seen, ample, and should, we think, be satisfac- 
tory to every inquirer after the truth. 

The names by which this CITY are known in 
Holy Writ, are, as the attentive reader will have 
observed : the Jerusalem which is above, in contra- 
distinction to that which is on earth, or now is — the 



THE NEW JERUSALEM. 255 

city wliicli has foundations, i, e. durabilit}^, perma- 
nency, which shall never become a heap of ruins, 
or as Sion be ploughed like a field — the beloved 
city — the New Jerusalem, and the holy city. 

Its beauty, purity, and consequent desirableness 
to all saints, are wonderfully great, and must be full 
of comfort, consolation and edification to all who, 
feeling themselves pilgrims and strangers in this 
present evil world, sigh for a better, are expectants 
of a permanent, holy, and happy residence beyond 
the grave. Dr. Dwight, little as he seems to have 
truly apprehended this subject (for he speaks of the 
holy city. New Jerusalem, as a magnificent emblem 
only^ of the future state and residence of the re- 
deemed), could, nevertheless, speak and write beau- 
tifully and eloquently, of this sublime and bright 
abode. Hear him: " The foundations of the heavenly 
city are garnished with all manner of precious 
stones. Its dimensions are wonderfully great. Its 
wall is of jasper. Its buildings are of pure pellucid 
gold ; its gates are pearls ; its watchmen are angels. 
The throne of God, and the Lamb, is in the midst of 
it. Out of this throne proceeds the river of life, and 
on its banks stands the tree of life, yielding the 
various fruits of immortality. No temple is found 
there. No night overcasts the sky. No moon 
shines. No sun rises. The Lord God Almighty and 
the Lamh are the temple of this divine residence ; the 



256 THE KINGDOM wnicn shall not be destroyed; 

Sun whicli shines with the splendor of everlastiug 
day." How beautiful must that residence be, what 
its magnificence and glory, where the Lord God 
Almighty and the Lamb are so intimately and 
peculiarly present! How desirable that abode to 
the renewed, sanctified, and blood- washed soul, from 
which everything abominable is excluded, and into 
Avhich nothing that is unclean shall ever enter — in 
which the voice of crying is heard no more, and 
there is no declining of strength, no exhaustion by 
suffering, and no death, but all the redeemed are as 
the ano'els of God! Those who reo-ard the New 
Jerusalem as emlleinatic only, it would seem, must 
necessarily deprive themselves during their earthly 
pilgrimage, in part at least, of the consolations of 
Abraham the friend of God, who, while dwelling 
in tents in the land of promise, looked for a 
CITY which has foundations, whose maker and 
builder is God. Yes, this city, New Jerusalem, is 
not an emblem merely. "There has existed in 
every age of the world a longing after a state on 
earth more pure, permanent, and divine than any 
yet realized. Travellers have explored all realms, 
and poets have embodied their highest presenti- 
ments, and traditions have handed down dim and 
distant recollections of departed beauty as pledges 
of its return. From Cain to Job, and from Job to 
Abraham, and from Abraliam to Columbus, weary 



THE NEW JERUSALEM. 25 1 

humanity has been in pursuit of a city that hath 
foundations, and * desiring a better country, that is, 
a heavenly.' This glorious city is the response to 
these yearnings; it is the coronal of the brightest 
hopes — the consummation of the grandest prophecies 
— the satisfaction of the deepest and most earnest 
yearnings of the human heart." I believe, in the 
language of the eloquent author just quoted, that 
" it is plainly a literal city — a material as well as a 
moral structure — for risen bodies as well as regene- 
rated spirits ; and thus matter as well as mind and 
conscience will reach its perfection. This city will 
show what a renovated earth is capable of; what an 
array of glory, order, harmony, and perfection this 
chaos shall become at the bidding of Him on whose 
head are many crowns. It will be that brilliant 
focus on which shall converge all the beams of 
material and moral glory which are at present scat- 
tered over all the realms of Deity." 

The capacity of this CITY is great, as it evidently 
must be, to afford room for a countless multitude of 
inhabitants. The security it gives, is perfect, sur- 
rounded by a great wall and high. Eev. xxi. 12. 
Its access is easy — twelve gates — an equal number 
on the east and on the west, on the north and on 
the south. ^ As respects the extent of " the holy 
CITY, New Jerusalem," it may perhaps be desirable 
to enlarge somewhat in this connection. Eevelation 

22* 



258 THE IvLNGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED J 

is specific and full on this subject. " And the city 
lieth four square, and the length is as large as the 
breadth : and he measured the city with the reed, 
twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the 
breadth and the height of it are equal." Eev. xxi. 
16. On this verse a distinguished commentator in 
his "Notes," uses the following language: "As 
eight furlongs make a mile, the extent of the walls, 
therefore, must have been 375 miles." Now with all 
due deference, I remark, that there is no allusion 
whatever, in this passage, to the walls of the city on 
the one hand, and on the other, it is a debatable 
question certainly, wdiether our author's dimensions, 
375 miles, as given in his notes, or those of his ana- 
lysis on the same chapter, be the more correct — in 
which, speaking of the city, he says : " It is square, 
the length being as great as the breadth, and its 
height the same. The extent of EACII DIMEN- 
SION IS 12,000 furlongs." But he proceeds: "Of 
course, this must preclude all idea of there being 
such a city literally in Palestine." But where in 
the Sacred volume is it said, or even remotely inti- 
mated, that this CITY must be icholl;/ in Palestine? 
And is that a fair deduction, that because it cannot 
be wholly in one particular country, which the sacred 
Scriptures do not teach, therefore tJtere icill he no such 
city at all, Palestine was only a type of the bright 
and better land — of the Ecst which rcmaineth for 



THE NEW JERUSALEM. 259 

the people of God. Earth, the luliole earth renovated, 
is the antitype^ and if little Palestine could not con- 
tain the CITY, even with the doubtful dimensions 
of our author above given, EAETH is capacious 
enough to receive the New Jerusalem, in all its 
length, and breadth, and height — on the magnificent 
scale set forth in the Apocalypse. Finally, our au- 
thor in his comment on this (16) verse, speaking of 
the height of the city, remarks : ^' Of course this 
cannot be understood literally ; and the very idea of . 
a literal fulfilment of this shows the absurdity of 
that method of interpretation. The idea intended 
to be conveyed by this immense height would seem 
to be that it would contain countless numbers of in- 
habitants." Query — What is to contain countless 
numbers of inhabitants ? Barnes said in his notes 
on verse 2 of the 20tli chapter of Kev. concerning 
the New Jerusalem, that " it is a representation of 
the heavenly state under the image of a beautiful 
city." Query 1st. How many inhabitants can a 
EEPEESENTATION contain? Query 2d. How 
many, or what number of inhabitants, can a 
STATE, divestad of the idea of locality or place, 
contain ? But if this is not the meaning which our 
author attached to the word state^ but associated with 
it locality or place, then why may not i\iQ place^ or 
residence of the redeemed, be a city as well as any- 
thing else ? Wherein then is ^'the absurdity of that 



260 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

method of interpretation," which with, or in accor- 
dance with the word of God, maintains that a CITY 
whose maker and builder is God, is the final abode 
of the Lord's ransomed, in which there is room 
enough for all the saints who have already put off* 
this earthly tabernacle, and room enough for all 
who shall yet believe, and hereafter enter into their 
rest ? 

Concerning that great city, the holy Jerusalem, 
John made this record: "And I savf no temple 
therein." Eev. xxi. 22. No temple. " This," says 
one, "sounds like discord in the harmony of heaven 
— it looks as if it were the projected shadow of No 
God! — it seems out of place. No tears, one can 
easily admit as an Eden feature, and joyfully antici- 
pate as a blessed fact ; but no temple seems a gap 
in the landscape — a stain on the glory — a cloud on 
the bright sky." Yet the seer of Patmos recorded 
what he saw and heard, and what he saw and re- 
corded is true. A house of prayer, with all the 
a[)pointments of Christianity, is needful for man in 
liis present state, to aid him to do right — to stimu- 
late, to arrest, to arouse, to awaken and improve 
him in holiness, and to fit or prepare him for his 
high destiny. But in the future age — in the new 
world — in that bright and sublime abode, to which 
the Christian looks forward with a joy which is un- 
speakable, and a hope full of glorj^, such structures 



THE NEW JERUSALEM. 261 

made by man's hands — reared by human labor, and 
which decay and crumble into dust, will be no more 
needed, and heuce -will have no further existence. 
But to particularize : a temple is a place, structure, 
house or buildiug to which sinners are invited, and 
in which they are called to repentance, but from 
heaven all sin will be excluded, and every finally 
impenitent sinner banished. In heaven there will 
be no sinners to repent — no sinners except such as 
did repent in the time accepted, and are blood- 
washed, justified, sanctified, and glorified. 'Hence 
for sinners there will be no temple needed in heaven. 
Again, a temple is a house in which God's people 
meet for communion with each other, and their 
Maker — with the Father and his Son, Christ Jesus, 
to increase their faith, to enkindle their love, to in- 
vigorate their hopes; in a word, in ordinances of 
God's ordination, to seek God. But in the holy 
CITY, the heavenly Jerusalem, God the Judge of all 
is present, and Jesus the Mediator of the new cove- 
nant. There faith is lost in sight, hope is swallowed 
np in the fruition, and consequently the ordinances 
of the present age are useless. The saved will have 
nothing for which to pray. Inward distress they 
will feel no more. God shall wipe all tears from 
their eyes. Outward calamities, never befall the 
residents of the New Jerusalem — nor fiery trials, nor 
scorching persecutions. All the fiery darts of the 



262 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

wicked, for tliem sliall have been quenched forever. 
^' The sun shall not light on them nor an}^ heat." 
All their desires are satisfied. Every wish of their 
souls crowned with enjoyment. " They shall hunger 
no more ; neither shall they thirst any more." The 
possession and enjoyment of all good is theirs. 
*' The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall 
feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains 
of water." The knowledge, moreover, of the re- 
deemed, is in an important sense perfect. They re- 
quire no prophets, apostles, or ministers to teach 
them. They see Christ always. The time for sa- 
craments and ordinances will have passed away — 
hence because not required — because useless, there 
will be no temple for the saints in that better land. 
Finally (not to speak of pagan structures for idol- 
worship, nor of Moslem mosques, consecrated to the 
fi)lse prophet, nor of Socinian conventicles, in which 
the divinity of the great Redeemer is denied), a 
temple is a building consecrated to the service of 
the triune God — solemnly set apart for external wor- 
ship and ordinances, in ichich it is our duty here to 
wait upon God. They are human structures, of 
perishable and perishing materials, and like every- 
thing sublunary, though strong as the gates of 
Thebes, massive as Egypt's pyramids, and enduring 
as the columns of the Parthenon, they are tempo- 
rary still, and destined to decay — to moulder and 



THE NEW JERUSALEM. 263 

crumble into dust. Like the Aje or dispensation to 
which they belong, they are not eternal. Temples, 
in the ordinary acceptation of the term, belong to 
time, " No temple," as here used, is emblematic of 
eternity. Temples such as men's hands rear, are 
significant of decay, "No temple," in this connection 
teems with the ideas of indestructibility, perma- 
nency. Eternity, In a word, the seer John saw no 
temple in the beloved and holy city, such as had 
stood on Mt. Zion — such as he had seen in Judea, 
and at Jerusalem in his day. He saw no special 
building set apart for divine worship. The New 
Jerusalem was TEMPLELESS— it was ALL TEM- 
PLE — all consecrated. No unhallowed spot was there. 
None for common or profane uses. " The Lord God 
Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." 

Once more, the Metropolis of the KINGDOM, 
which the Lord God shall set up, and which the 
saints shall possess forever, requires no natural or 
material light. "And the CITY had no need of the 
sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the 
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the 
light thereof." Eev. xxi. 23. " Then the moon shall 
be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord 
of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, 
and before his ancients gloriously." Isai. xxiv. 23. 
The sun and moon were made to give light, &c., to 
earth and earth's inhabitants, in or during the pre- 



264 THE KINGDOM AVIIICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

sent state, or condition of things. It is not said that 
they shall cease to be — have their light quenched — 
become extinct or annihilated, bat only that there 
will be no need of them, in the New Jerusalem state. 
Their light will be unperceived amid the in tenser 
brightness of the rays of the glory of God and the 
Lamb, as the stars now vanish from the firmament, 
before the rising of the orb of day. The sun may 
still give light to other planets, and the moon fulfil 
the purposes of its creation, but in the regeneratioyi^ 
and in the restitution^ when earth shall have been 
renewed and restored to its rightful heirs, Christ 
and his saints, they will be vmseen — ashamed and 
confounded before the splendor of the Sun of right- 
eousness. That Sun having risen will set no more, 
but will shine forever. Hence we understand how 
there shall be *' no night" in the heavenly CITY. 
No night in the physical, natural, literal sense. No 
spiritual night, but, on the contrary, clear, unerring 
knowledge, unspotted holiness, and everlasting joy. ' 
No darkness at all can ever gather over the place 
irradiated by the divine light — when and where lie 
is present who is i\\Q fountain of light. 

Finally: the inhabitant of that better land shall 
not say "I am sick." Isai. xxxiii. 21. There shall 
not be " any more pain," in the celestial CITY. Eev. 
xxi. 4. They, the saved around the throne, have 
done with the present age and state, and have done 



THE NEW JERUSALEM. 265 

consequently with sickness and the anguish of na- 
ture, with all sorrow and vexation — with suffering 
and mortality forever. No crying will break in 
upon the harmony of the blessed. ISTo sighs inter- 
rupt the " new song" of the redeemed. No anguish 
disturb the saint's everlasting rest. The disciple of 
feeble, sickly constitution will have left all his mala- 
dies behind him. When his sleeping dust, at the 
voice of the Son of God. leaps forth from its prison 
house, the grave, spirituality, power, glory, incor- 
ruptibility shall be the attributes then^ of his once 
feeble suffering frame. The martyr, too, for the 
religion of Jesus, will be pursued by relentless per- 
secutors, and assailed by cruel tormentors no more. 
Heathen fury will not be able to reach the ransomed 
in their Father's house, and anti-Christian wrath 
will be unseen, unfelt, and unfeared in the KTNGr- 
DOM of the saints. 

The locality of the Metropolis of the Kingdom of 
the Most High, which the saints shall take and pos- 
sess forever, even forever and ever, is EAETH. 
This earth, so long cursed by reason of sin — the 
arena of conflict so protracted and fierce — the scene 
of so much suffering, of sorrows so deep, and of 
woes unutterable, "needs but his" (Christ's) "bless- 
ing, and it shall then bloom like the rose ; it waits 
for the touch of his consecrating footsteps, and its 
every desert shall smile." Christ's by right and 
23 



266 THE KINGDOM WEIICII SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; 

purchase, it shall be restored to more than Eden 
lovelmess, and be the place to which John saw the 
holy CITY, New Jerusalem come down from God 
out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her 
husband. Eev. xxi. 2. The precise locality of the 
CITY, i. e. in what particular quarter of our globe 
it will be more especially situated, is not positively 
or directly taught in the sacred Scriptures, but the lo- 
cality of the Seat, or Throne of the great King — the 
choice of the Lord for his habitation forevermore, is re- 
vealed^ and hence, I imagine, we may know, or 
recognize the locality of the CITY, if not by direct 
teaching, by unmistahahle inference, "Yet have I 
set my king upon my holy hill of ZION." Psalm ii. 
6. " Then the moon shall be confounded, and the 
sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign IN 
MOUNT ZION, AND IN JERUSALEM, and be- 
fore his ancients gloriously." Isai. xxiv. 23. "For 
the Lord hath chosen ZION, he hath desired it for 
his habitation. This is my REST forever; here 
will I dwell, for I have desired it." Psalm cxxxii. 
13, 14. And again, verses 17 and 18, "There 
will I make the horn of David to bud : I have or- 
dained a lamp for mine anointed. His enemies will 
I clothe with shame ; but upon himself shall his 
crown flourish." ZION will be the Seat of the 
great King, and the inference manifestly w^hich we 
are left to make, is, that on, and round about ZION, 



THE NEW JERUSALEM. 261 

will be the holy CITY, New Jerusalem, in all its 
length, and breadth, and height, and magnificence, 
and glory. Zion was the name of the loftiest moun- 
tain on which Jerusalem was built, on one of the 
eminences of which (Moriah) the temple was erected, 
and on which the citadel of the Jebusites stood 
wdien David took possession of it, and transferred 
his court thither from Hebron, whence it bears the 
name of city of David ; and from his having deposited 
the ark here, it is also frequently called ^' the holy 
hill." When "the times of the Gentiles" are ful- 
filled, during which Jerusalem was to be, 'ivas and is^ 
trodden under foot — when David's descendant ac- 
cording to the flesh, but David's Lord shall come, 
he will dwell in his chosen or desired habitation — 
shall sit upon his throne, and "shall reign in Mount 
Zion, and in Jerusalem before his ancients glori- 
ously." It is scarcely necessary in this connection 
to say, that this will not be in this age, or rather, 
perhaps, under the present dispensation. It will 
not be in the Jerusalem that now is, but during the 
millennium — the rest which remaineth for the people 
of God, or during the world's great SABBATH — 
which millennium, rest^ or SABBATH, will be after 
the advent of our Lord — after the resurrection of all 
the dead in Christ, the translation of all living 
Christians, the earth's conflagration, and whilst the 
wicked are ashes under the feet of the saints. When 



268 THE KINGDOM WHICH SHALL NOT BE DESTROYED; ETC. 

the world's SABBATH is terminated — the mil- 
lennium ended — the thousand years accomplished — 
the wicked dead raised, judged, and condemned, and 
they together with their deceiver cast into the fiery 
lake, what will then transpire in the case of the 
Lord's ransomed — what changes will take place, we 
have not undertaken to say — enough, happy and 
glorious as the millennium will be, it is doubtless but 
a prelibation — the vestibule, porch, or first entrance 
of the glory which shall be revealed in the re- 
deemed — the saints of the Most High God. Yes, 
whatever changes may transpire, in relation to those 
" kings and priests unto God," it will only be from 
glory to exceeding glory, and from joy unto joys 
surpassing all that went before. We stand on the 
shore of eternity's wide sea, whose constantly ap- 
proaching waves, already fling their dashing spray 
at our very feet. When our foothold on time — 
when the isthmus on which we stand is washed 
away, we shall be engulfed in destruction and per- 
dition forever, or when the crisis comes, as the 
Lord's ransomed, we shall leap into God's paradise, 
the expectants of the new world, whose metropolis 
is the New Jerusalem, and whose Sabbath is a thou- 
sand vears. 



CHAPTER IX, 



CONCLUSIOI^. 



After repeating, or recapitulating a few things 
(for the sake of perspicuity), already taught in the 
preceding portions of this volume, we hasten to close 
our remarks on the KINGrDOM, which the Lord 
God shall set up, and which the saints shall take and 
possess forever. When " the times of the Gentiles" 
are accomplished, then will be the millennium — the 
world's Sabbath. " The times of the Gentites" cover 
all the space, from the day of God's grant of 
universal dominion (Jer. xxv.) to Nebuchadnezzar 
King of Babylon, down to the end of Antichrist, 
whom the Lord Avill destroy with the brightness of 
his coming. During these "times," the Lord's chosen 
are gathered into his church, from the mass of 
nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples. When they 
terminate, the last human being, that is to be, shall 
have been introduced into the household and family 
of God on earth. As Babylon, the type of Rome, 

23* 



270 CONCLUSION. 

was overthrown at the very time when Grod's grant 
of dominion to Nebuchadnezzar, and to his son, and 
to his son's son expired, so Eome may certainly be 
expected to fall, as Eome never yet fell, and as Eome 
alone can fall (Eev. xviii.) the very moment the 
" times of the Gentiles," or the 2800 days of Daniel, 
chap, viii., are terminated. Eome's ruin will be one 
of the signs of the times, the demonstration that 
Gentilism has ended, one of the great landmarks, to 
the Christian voyagers, over the troubled sea of time, 
that the whole church will now right speedily enter 
the long desired and peaceful haven ; that the breeze 
of the better land already swells the sails of their 
long tempest-tossed bark, and so will they get them- 
selves ready to seize the harps of God, and to roll 
np from ten thousand times ten thousand tongues 
tlieir tribute of thanks, that the time has come to 
reward his saints, and to destroy them that destroy 
the earth. But as the Jewish emancipation and 
restoration from captivity did not instantly occur, 
when Babylon's judgments had come, so there may 
and probably will some time elapse between the 
final ruin of Eome and the visible, personal appear- 
ing of the Son of man, Jesus Christ. 

When the Gospel shall have been preached as a 
witness to all nations, then will be introduced the 
new Age or dispensation. Some, and good Christian 
men, too, maintain, that from the influence of means 



CONCLUSION. 211 

now employed, viz : preaclimg, prayer, missions, &c. 
&c., the millennium will result ; tliat this with God's 
blessing will be the consequence, or the final develop- 
ment of these instrumentalities. But the Bible 
teaches a far different lesson. The men at and near 
the close of this dispensation may have more civiliza- 
tion and more science than those who lived at its 
heginning^ but not more grace and holiness. How- 
ever enlightened the head, the unbelieving, unre- 
generate, unsanctified human heart, will then as ever^ 
yield its legitimate product, viz : grievous sins and 
flagrant crimes. When the Son of man cometh, 
instead of finding faith upon the earth, will find 
violence, conflict, revolt, contention, dispute, war, 
worldliness, vanity, scoffing, and unbelief. Nay, 
Christianity is not a progressive development (after 
the manner, and in the sense of those above referred 
to), from what it was, and now is, to millennial light 
and glory, i, e., a light and glory which they so de- 
nominate, but which millennium, as taught by them, 
is a mere figment, a prejudice^ and not a reality. 
Though the gospel will be preached in all lands, and 
among all people, ere the termination of this world's 
last great epoch, though the number of disciples be 
multiplied, and the distinction between saint and 
sinner more clearly drawn, yet as time progresses, 
and the end draws near, matters, instead of morally 
improving, will grow w^orse, and the world correspond 



272 CONCLUSION. 

to tbe terrible portrait drawn by tlie Saviour, Luke 
xvii. 26-29. Instead of peace, violence will fill the 
world; instead of spiritually-mindedness, intense 
worldliness, and instead of faith, the grossest and 
most shameless unbelief. In a word, instead of a 
millennium^ being the result of means now employed, 
the last days according to the apostle Paul, will be 
characterized thus: "This know, also, that in the 
last days perilous times shall come. For men shall 
be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, 
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthank- 
ful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, 
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those 
that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers 
of pleasures more than lovers of God ; having a 
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." 
2 Tim. iii. 

The expectation of the millennium is perhaps as 
universal now, among Christians, as was the expec- 
tation of the Messiah's speedy advent, among the 
Jews, eighteen hundred and fifty-six years ago. As 
the people Avere in expectation, when John the 
Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 
and baptizing with water unto repentance, and all 
men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were 
the Christ or not, so Christendom is now waiting for 
the approach, the coming, the full development of 
the millenniunT, whatever be the ideas which people 



CONCLUSION. 273 

attach to this word, or whatever the notions, or 
opinions they may have formed of this happy era, 
whether scriptural, or nnscriptural, spiritual or 
carnal. And as the fact and hope of the Messiah's 
coming about nineteen centuries ago had passed the 
limits of Jewry, and found its way even among the 
heathen, so the fact and hope of a millennium to 
come, has now gone out from the Christian church, 
and mere politicians look for, and infidels very 
generally prate of, " a good time comi^g." But deep 
and terrible, it is to be feared, will be the disappoint- 
ment of multitudes in the Christian as it was in the 
Jewish church. The Jews prayed for the Eedeemer 
to come to Zion. Christians pray for the hastening 
of the time when the heathen shall be given to the 
Son for an inheritance, and the uttermost part of the 
earth for a possession. The Jews looked for triumph, 
prosperity, and peace for the church in TIME, and 
when the long expected Saviour came, and taught 
that the way to the crown was by the cross^ they were 
disappointed in him, they despised and rejected him, 
they cried Away with him, crucify him, crucify him. 
So madly intent were they in their work of rejection, 
that when Pilate "took water, and washed his hands 
before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the 
blood of this just person: see ye to it Then 
answered all the people, and said. His blood le on us, 
and on our children." Thev misunderstood and 



274 CONCLUSION. 

misinterpreted their own prophets, and terribly sad 
and bitter has been their fate. To escape their fear- 
ful destiny, Christians should beware not to mis- 
understand and misinterpret the teachings of Jesus 
on this subject, which all those do whom the great 
ad/versary seduces and ensnares with the unscriptural 
hope of rest and peace for the church here^ in the 
land of her pilgrimage, and the arena of her conflict, 
where her Lord bids her, as he did the Israelites at 
the Eed Sea, " go forward ;" and commands her to 
take the whole armor of God, that she may be able 
to stand against the wiles of the devil, that she may 
be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done 
all to stand. True she icill stand. The gates of hell 
shall not prevail against her. No weapon that is 
formed against her shall prosper. But her rest is 
not here. Her peace is not of this age. Sufferings 
she must endure. Through trials, which may be 
fiery, indeed, she must pass, then the rest and peace, 
the triumph, the glory, and the KINGDOM. 

The Church has ever had her trials — her running, 
her fighting, her tribulations, from the beginning, 
and it will be so unto the end — until old things 
have all passed awa}^ and all things' have become 
new. Her members have suffered in common with 
all humanity. Rumors of wars have disquieted 
them. Wars have desolated them. The earthquake 
has shaken them. The pestilence has invaded their 



CONCLUSION. 2T5 

dwellings, disease convulsed their mortal frame, and 
death hurried them to the grave. They have, more- 
over, had afflictions peculiar to themselves. In a 
world hostile to God, some were tortured, "and 
others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings; 
yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. They 
were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, 
were slain with the sword; they wandered about in 
sheep-skins and goat-skins ; being destitute, afflicted, 
tormented, they wandered in deserts, and in moun- 
tains, and in dens and caves of the earth." Heb. xi. 
So it has been, and so it will be, more or less, until 
the KING comes — until the first saint, w^ho, first of 
the race, w^as translated out of darkness into light, 
and the last Christian, who had just passed over into 
spiritual life, as the last trumpet began to sound, 
meet in glorj^, and stand together around the throne, 
shouting, with equal ecstasy, "Unto him that loved 
us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 
and hath made us kings and priests unto God and 
his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever 
and ever. Amen." Eev. i. 5, 6. Those, therefore, 
who expect, who look for a period in probationary 
TIME, when man shall reign^ without having first 
suffered with Christ, labor under a delusion — enter- 
tain a hope which is destined to perish. 

Finally, when the seventh trumpet sounds, then 
will be announced, by great voices in heaven, say- 



276 CONCLUSION. 

ins; — " The kino-doms of this world are become the 
Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he 
shall reign forever and ever." Eev. xi. 15. But the 
seventh is the last trumpet, consequently the KING- 
DO^I (the millennium) will be after the personal 
advent of Jesus Christ — the resurrection of all the 
dead in the Lord, the translation of all living saints, 
the destruction of the wicked, and the conflagration 
of the world, just preceding and preparatory to the 
new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth 
righteousness. Here let me introduce a reminis- 
cence (suggested by the seventh and last trumpet) 
of the father whose assistant I was, in the Gospel 
ministrj^, for a number of years, in my early man- 
hood; and to the earth, thrown up from whose new 
made grave, I have often looked from my study- 
door. The fact which I am about to narrate is both 
illustrative of the subject under consideration, or of 
the nature of the millennium, as not to be expected in 
this present mortal state, and as affording an example 
worthy of imitation to much inferior, younger, but 
heady and opinionative divines. Dr. Schmucker, 
Sen., had for long years studied the prophecies, espe- 
cially the Apocalypse. After the publication of the 
German edition of his work on the Revelation of St, 
John (1843), he made me a present of the book, ac- 
companied with the request that, after examining it, 
I should give him my opinion of its contents. I 



CONCLUSION. 27 1 

cheerfully accepted of the volume, and gave it a 
perusal. Meeting afterwards in his own honse, he 
wished to know what I thought of his Apocalyptic 
expositions ; I hesitated. He insisted — " but I wish 
you to give me your opinion," was his remark. I 
then proceeded; passing over some things as non- 
essential, agreeing with him in others, until the 
subject of the Eesurrection came in review, which 
resurrection is to take place at the pre-millennial 
advent of Jesus Christ. The doctor maintained that 
it was only the martyrs who would then rise from 
the dead. I said that I could prove, from Scripture, 
that the resurrection, not of martyrs only, but of all 
them that slept in Jesus, would then take place ; and 
not only so, but that all saints, also, then living, 
would instantly be changed, in a moment — in the 
twinkling of an eye. This, of course, changed the 
whole aspect of the millennium — transferred it at 
once beyond the limits of probation; and though it 
was a subject so near his heart, of which he had 
thought so long, on which he had meditated so 
deeply, and written so much, and though mj^ asser- 
tion, if correct, would so materially affect his long 
and dearly cherished views, yet his only reply was, 
^^ Prove it!" I requested a Bible, which, when 
brought, I opened and read — " And I saw thrones, 
and they that sat upon them, and judgment was 
given unto them ; and I saw the souls of them that 
24 



21 8 CONCLUSION. 

were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the 
word of God, and which had not worshipped the 
beast, neither his image, neither had received his 
mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and 
they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand 
years." Rev. xx. 4. Now this passage, I remarked, 
teaches the resurrection of the martyrs clearly (for it 
is a resurrection which is here intended, as the suc- 
ceeding verses, 5 and 6, prove), but as respects others^ 
it neither affirms nor denies aught. Now, doctor, 
where does this Scripture (passage) belong ? To 
what period of time? His answer was, as I well 
knew, from his intimate acquaintance with the sub- 
ject, it would be — '^ It belongs to the period desig- 
nated by the seventh trumpet." I then turned to 
Rev. xi. 18 — ''And the nations were angry, and thy 
wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they 
should be judged, and that thou shouldest give 
reward unto thy servants, the prophets, and to the 
saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; 
and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." 
Now this passage taught that the time for the judg- 
ment of the dead had come, but the judgment of these 
is after the resurrection, hence the resurrection is 
implied, presupposed, and taken for granted. And, 
again, this same Scripture taught that the time was 
present, when the Lord God Almighty should give 
reward, not to the martyrs only^ who, indeed, as such. 



CONCLUSION. 219 

are not mentioned in this place, but to all his people, 
to his servants the prophets, and to the saints, and 
to them that feared his name, both small and great ; 
and what place, I inquired, do you assign to this 
verse, last quoted? His answer was, as in the pre- 
ceding instance : '* It pertains to — it follows — it be- 
longs to the period marked in the Apocalypse by 
the sounding of the seventh trumpet, by the seventh 
angel." Both these passages then, I remarked, 
though found in different chapters, belong together 
— to the same period of time, and relate to the same 
thing. "Yes!" Well, doctor, how many trumpets 
are there? "Seven." The seventh, then, is the 
last, "Yes." T then referred to 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52 
— "Behold, I show you a mystery; w^e shall not all 
sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in 
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the 
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised 
incorruptible, and we shall be changed." The 
apostle, I observed, who speaks in this chapter of 
the resurrection of the righteous only, without any 
reference to the wicked at all, expressly declares 
that, at the LAST TRUMP (which you have ad- 
mitted the seventh to be) ALL THOSE WHO ARE 
ASLEEP (DEAD) IN CHRIST SHALL ARISE, 
and ALL LIVING SAINTS BE CHANGED. 
His only reply was — "I never thought of that before; 
I will consider what you have said, and give you 



2 so CONCLUSION. 

my opinion." After the lapse of some time, the 
subject .was again brought up, and the doctor told 
me that he had reflected upon it, and that I was mis- 
taken, and gave his reasons for it. I opposed his 
arguments, and the matter was dropped, each retain- 
ing his own special views. Weeks, perhaps months 
afterwards, this interesting topic was referred to 
again, and the doctor said to me, "You were right." 
I did not expect him, at his age, with his experience 
and knowledge, to yield to me, or that he would give 
up his long-cherished opinions for mine. I opposed 
him in this thing, not only because I believed the 
sentiments I advanced, but also because he expressly 
desired my opinion, and the result proved the 
humility of the man, the openness of his heart to 
the truth, and, in spite of accumulated years, the 
2orogressive character of his mind, whilst many, of far 
less real intellectual vigor, are dwarfed and stunted 
by prejudice and the pride of opinion. And now, 
when I look over to the place where we laid him, in 
the hope of the better resurrection, or when I stand 
by his grave, I feel comforted in the thought that, 
Avhcn he passed through the dark valley, he may 
have been cheered with the glorious assurance that 
he, as one of the redeemed, blood-washed, and sanc- 
tified, should, in common with all saints, lay aside 
the habiliments of the grave, and rise from among 
the dead one thousand 3- ears sooner than he had ever 



CONCLUSION. 281 

believed, before he had said to me, at the conclusion 
of our argument, in reference to THE resurrection 
at the pre-millennial advent of Jesus Christ — ''You 
were right." 

But to proceed, the sublime, the wonderful, and 
solemn events referred to above, viz : the advent of 
our Lord, the resurrection of all the sainted dead, the 
translation of all the living Christians, the destruc- 
tion of the wicked, the conflagration of the world, 
and the new heavens and the new earth, are they 
distant, or are they near ? The millennium, with all 
its amazing, terrible, magnificent, and glorious pre- 
cedents, concomitants, and consequents, is it remote, 
or at the door? Is the footfall of Him, to meet 
whom in peace we must have put on the bridal rai- 
ment, already heard by the practised ear of those 
who are waiting for him, or must we yet long wait 
to hear it, as a future and far distant consummation ? 

The great line of prophecy (Dan. vii.) which we 
have been contemplating, and which, as we have seen, 
is so beautifully and clearly illustrated by history, is 
seemingly, running down to near its close. See 
Appendix 4. To this conclusion, the student of 
history and prophecy must come — it forces itself 
upon him with almost resistless power, whatever 
may be his opinions, in reference to that which is to 
follow after. But when this line of monarchies, or 

24* 



282 CONCLUSION. 

kingdoms now apparently so nearly completed, is 
fully termmateclj no earthly, or temporal, perishable 
power, monarchy, or kingdom will succeed. What 
then will follow ? The KINGDOM will then come, 
which the Lord God shall set np, for which his people 
in all their generations ever prayed, and which the 
saints of the Most High shall take, and possess forever, 
even forever and ever, and which, or rather a part of 
Avhich (in respect to time), is the millennium. It is an 
ancient tradition that the seventh millennium, i. e. the 
seven thousandth year from the creation of man, 
Avill be earth's great Sabbath. Six millennia have 
now nearly terminated — the sixth will soon com- 
plete, or fill up the measure of its allotted years. 
True some heathen nations have pretended to much 
greater or higher antiquity for their origin and 
national existence, than revelation accords to the 
human fomily. If they were correct, then the sixth 
and the seven thousandth year of man's existence on 
earth, and I know not how man}^ more thousands, 
would have elapsed lour/ ago^ and the tradition re- 
ferred to above must pass for nothing. But these 
are mere idle pretensions, and placed in the crucible 
of science, and tested by true history, they have 
been dissipated, and vanished into thin air. From 
heathen, and foolish heathen pride, however, nothing 
better might be looked for. Infidels, would-be phi- 



CONCLUSION. 283 

losophers, and infidel historians also, from jealousy, 
envy, hatred, and malice — in a word, from deep and 
deadly hostility to Christianity— have sought to 
make available the pagan assumptions and preten- 
sions against Bible chronology. But true philo- 
sophy and history are opposed to them, and they 
could not prevail — God is against them, and they 
have been confounded. But men, also, who fear 
God — believers in divine revelation — Christian men, 
are not unfrequently found, who have thought and 
felt as though they needed a longer period than the 
cornmonly received chronology accorded them, to 
make all things, facts, and circumstances harmonize, 
and hence have inclined to, or perhaps adopted, not 
indeed the pagan, but the Septaagint, instead of the 
chronology of the Hebrew text. But there is no 
real necessity for this on the one hand, and on the 
other, though there may be, and most probably are 
some slight mistakes in the chronology commonly 
received, yet it is certainly far more nearly correct than 
a^iy other. " The chronology," I quote from the admi- 
rable book before quoted and referred to, " adopted by 
the English translators of the sacred Scriptures, and 
placed in the margin of our Bibles, is that of the 
Masoretic or common HebrevvT text. According to 
it, the period which elapsed between the deluge and 
the call of Abraham was four hundred and twenty- 
seven years ; and between the deluge and the birth 



284 CONCLUSION. 

of Christ two thousand three hundred and forty- 
eight years. The extended scheme to which we 
alluded, is the Septiiagint chronology — that is, the 
chronology of an ancient Greek translation of the 
Hebrew Scriptures. According to this latter, the 
interval between the deluge and the call of Abraham 
was one thousand two hundred and five years ; and 
between the flood and the birth of our Lord three 
thousand one hundred and fifty-four j^ears. You 
see how long and confessedly adequate a period the 
Septuagint chronology presents for the increase, ex- 
tensive spread, and national organization of Noah's 
posterity before Abraham left Mesopotamia for Ca- 
naan. If this latter chronological system can be 
shown to be correct, the sceptical objection is at 
once divested of all semblance of validity. Hence, 
at least in part, many sincere friends of Holy Writ 
have been very solicitous for its maintenance, and 
not a few able Biblical scholars have volunteered 
their services in its advocacy. Of the arguments 
advanced by these in its favor, are many not a little 
plausible ; some very forcible. Among others it is, 
for example, urged, that the shortened scheme 
adopted by Archbishop Usher from the Masorite 
Jews, is recent in its origin, when compared with 
tlie more comprehensive chronology of the Septua- 
gint ; that this last was used before the advent of 
our Lord; was followed by the fathers of the church; 



CONCLUSION. 2S5 

and appears not to have been called in question till, 
in the eighth century, a disposition to exchange it 
for the Eabbinical method of reckoning was first 
manifested by the venerable Bede. It may be fur- 
ther uro-ed that the contracted scheme of the Hebrew 

o 

or Masoretic text is rejected by many of the greatest 
names in this branch of Biblical literature, as being, 
according to their view, inconsistent both with the 
records of other nations, and with the history of the 
ancient Hebrews themselves. A detailed statement 
of grounds for admitting the authority of the Sep- 
tuagint in preference to that of the Usherian or 
common Hebrew, may be found in a preliminary 
dissertation prefixed to the first volume of Dr. M. Eus- 
sell's Connection of Sacred and Profane History, This 
author contends that the chronology of the Hebrew 
Scriptures and that of the Greek version were origi- 
nally the same ; and that the accuracy of the latter 
was not called in question by the Jews for nearly 
four hundred years — that is, until the rapid progress 
of Christianity awakened the enmity of certain un- 
principled individuals of that nation, who were 
induced to alter the dates of their ancient chronicles, 
in order to weaken the arguments, derived from 
them in support of the new religion. With the 
Septuagint let it be noted that not only Josephus, 
but also Hales and Jackson, substantially agree in 
reckoning. It has been thought that for a while 



286 CONCLUSION. 

past that system has been considerably multiplying 
suflfrages in its favor. 

In support of the commonly received chronology, 
on the other hand, the following considerations may 
be urged : The fact that the Qsherian or shorter 
reckoning being embodied in the Hebrew text, is 
itself not a feeble argument against the longer com- 
putation ; and there appears also to be internal pro- 
bability against it. It is assumed that the framers 
of the present Hebrew text set out with the deliber- 
ate intention of curtailing the true chronology. Yet 
such a charge is more easily made than substan- 
tiated. A procedure of this nature would operate 
against the ordinarily entertained Jewish opinion 
relative to the time of the Messiah's advent. It is 
quite certain that they have not tampered with the 
sacred text in those places where the temptation 
to it was greatest ; and they ought not, therefore, to 
be accused of this sacrilege in instances of inferior 
moment, except upon very strong and clear proof. 
May it not be urged against such a charge, that the 
Jews of the Eabbinical schools, those of Palestine^ 
were guarded against all temptation of tampering 
with the sacred text, by the strict and even supersti- 
tious reverence with which they regarded the letter 
of the divine word? But the Alexandrine Jews, 
living under the influence of Grecian literature, and 
in a syncretizing age, began early to relax this rig- 



CONCLUSION. '' 28t 

orous restraint of the written letter. Of this ten- 
dency — so alien from the character of the Rabbinical 
or Palestine Judaism — the Septuagint version ex- 
hibits manifest traces. They had also a special 
motive for lengthening the Hebrew textual chrono- 
logy. The Egyptians, among whom they had their 
residence, would be disposed to sneer at a nation 
whose origin was so recent as their sacred records 
made the Hebrew. Hence they would have an in- 
telligent inducement tending to lengthening the 
genealogies. Clinton, in his Fasti Hellenici^ p. 297, 
says: "The Chaldeans and Egyptians (whose his- 
tories were about that time" — i, e, about the time the 
Septuagint translation was made — "published by 
Berosus and Manetho) laid claim to a remote anti- 
quity. Hence the translators of the Pentateuch into 
Greek might be led to augment the amount of the 
generations by the centenary additions^ and by the 
interpolation of the second Caman, in order to carry 
back the epochs of the creation and of the flood to 
a period more conformable with the high pretensions 
of the Egyptians and Chaldeans." And the manner 
in which the thing is done, witnesses to such a pro- 
cedure. Deliberation is manifest. The very regu- 
larity of the scheme is sufficient to bring it under 
strong suspicion of contrivance. Allusion is par- 
ticularly had to the centenary additions and deduc- 
tions. On this latter side of the chronological 



288 CONCLUSION. 

question jou. may find something noteworthy in 
Clinton's Fasti Hellenici^ pp. 283-297 ; and especially 
so in Brown's Ordo Scedorum^ pp. 318-354. (Vide 
Noah and his Times, Olmstead.) 

The common, shorter, Usherian, or Hebrew chro- 
nology, may after a fair and full investigation be 
regarded as the most correct^ and if so, six millennia 
since man's creation have nearly passed away, and 
the footfall of the seventh is heard at our door. 
The NIGHT is far spent, the DAY is at hand, when 
that voice which was uttered in the creative process, 
shall be heard again : " Lo I make all things new," 
and the same instant obedience shall be manifest as 
at the jirst^ the same heginning in nature^ that was not 
in nature before, and then the rest^ not the sleep, or 
nighty as we may call it, of nature's tardy growth, 
but " the EEST which remaineth for the people of 
God." 

*' Six thousand years of sorrow have wen-nigh 
FulfiUed their tardy and disastrous course 
Over a sinful world ; and what remains 
Of this tempestuous state of human things, 
Is merely as the working of a sea 
Before a calm that rocks itself to rest." 

After all due allowance for any small errors which 
may have crept into our chronology, all prophecy 
seems to point to the present centuiy — to a period 
now less than fifty years — in which events will trans- 



CONCLUSION. 289 

pire of amazing import — most glorious in their issues 
for the saints, for the church, and the people of the 
living God, but overwhelmingly disastrous and terri- 
ble for all the enemies of Jesus Christ — terrible to a 
degree outrunning conception, unprecedented in the 
annals of time. Paganism is waning before the 
light of the everlasting gospel. Mohammedanism is 
near its extinction. Popery may be said to be 
almost dead at the top, dead in its trunk, its very 
roots withering; a tree overshadowed by the dark, 
but righteous judgments of heaven, shaken by the 
earthquake, and soon to be uprooted by the hurri- 
cane of Jehovah's wrath. Solemn indeed is the 
period in which we live! The shadow of the 
present time falls " back into one eternity and for- 
ward into another. We stand on an isthmus washed 
by the waves of time and wasted by the waters of 
eternity. The terrible silence of the age is the 
suspensive pause, when nations hold their breath 
before the shock comes. The sure and glorious 
termination alone reconciles us to its pressure. Into 
a holy, and happy, and blessed land, the surf of the 
troubled present rolls; and our weary hearts will 
leap into that land as a babe leaps to its mother's 
bosom." But though the swelling hallelujahs of the 
happy age to come may already, as thought by 
some, be caught by the listening and practised ear 
25 



290 CONCLUSION. 

of the saints, as from afar, yet ere the millennium 
is ushered in, and the church finally and forever lay 
aside her habiliments of mourning, and put on her 
bridal raiment, Satan will put forth all his energies, 
muster all his forces to battle, do, it may be, super- 
natural deeds, knowing that his time is short, 
perhaps also vainly hoping to prolong the reign of 
darkness. Popery, too, will make its exode from 
God's earth, to the hlachiess of darhiess forever^ resist- 
ing the good and the truth unto the last not onl}^, 
but its resistance may be greatest as its end ap- 
proaches. And, finally, those who will not come out 
from Eome, or the great Apostasy, in obedience to 
the heavenly call : " Come out of her, my people, 
that ye partake not of her sins, and receive not of 
her plagues," and all infidels of every phase, school, 
and degree, will unite against the church, and to 
hinder the coming of the KINGDOM of God. Before 
the curtain of this world's drama falls, a general war 
also may be expected to spread over Europe, and 
parts at least of the continents of Asia and Africa. 
Late facts in the old (eastern) world have proven the 
inefficiency of peace congresses, and the hollowness 
and vanity of the prating pretensions, that people 
had grown too icise to war. Guided by prophecy, I 
look for a bloody conflict of nations. And when 
that WAR which prophecy contemplates comes, then 



CONCLUSION. 291 

rulers may desire peace, cabinets negotiate for peace, 
and subjects expect it, but it will NEVER MORE 
COME, IN THE PRESENT AGE. The crescent in 
the east will be annihilated, the tiara in the west must 
fall, the war progress, and finally, most probably, as- 
sume a religious character, or rather under the leader- 
ship of Antichrist emphatically, an antichristian 'phase. 
The enemies of Christ of that day, will all be in 
active league against the church, but will be super- 
naturally overthrown, and miserably perish, in a 
great, terrible, and universal slaughter, whilst the 
Church with the shield of Omnipotence over her, is 
safe, and shall come forth from the last great conflict, 
beautiful, indeed, and clothed with victory. The 
Canaanites (the wicked) having been driven out of 
the promised land (earth), Israel (all saints) will 
enter in and possess forever, for in so far as mere 
locality is concerned, earth is the hingdom which was 
prepared for believers from the foundation of the 
Avorld^ — the Kino'dom recovered from the hands of 

o 

the enemy by the mediation of Christ — the KINGr- 
DOM which the saints shall take and possess forever, 
even for ever and ever, and in which it shall be said 
that the tabernacle of God is with them, and he 
dwells with them, and they are his people, and " they 
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; 
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 



292 CONCLUSION. 

For the Lamb whicli is in tlie midst of the throne 
shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living 
fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all 
tears from their eyes." Eev. vii. 16, 17. 



APPENDIX 



25* 



APPENDIX. 



I. 



Some time ago, the following paragraph appeared in a 
popular city paper, from which it was copied more or less 
extensively into other papers: '^A distinguished En- 
glish geologist recently stated, in conversation with a 
friend of ours, that among the results to which Layard 
and Rawlinson have been led by their researches at Nine- 
veh, is the following : That the prophecies of Daniel were 
undoubtedly written after the events to which they refer 
had taken place, and that the whole of this book is, pro- 
bably, nothing but a political satire ! This, though sup- 
pressed by Layard in his work, has been communicated to 
the London Asiatic Society by Major Rawlinson, and will 
probably soon appear in its published transactions.'' Now 
it is more than probable that neither Mr. Layard nor Mr. 
Rawlinson knows anything of the result so flippantly 
attributed to them. If they do, however, then they had 
better research their ^' researches," for there is some mis- 
take with them. They have not rightly read Nineveh's 



296 APPENDIX. 

ruins ; lier medals, her inscriptions, her rusty coin, and 
her corroded marble. Besides, if ^^the prophecies were 
undoubtedly written after the events to which they refer 
had taken place,'' then "the prophecies of DanieP' un- 
doubtedly were never written at all, for many things in 
them are as yet future — the time for writing these pro- 
phecies has not yet come ! To this absurdity, the au- 
thors and abettors of the above paragraph inevitably and 
hopelessly subject themselves. The *' distinguished En- 
glish geologist," moreover, who is said to have made the 
statement above, must, I apprehend, have directed his 
attention mainly to the Ichthyological formations. From 
the fshiness of his story, his geological knowledge must 
be pre-eminent, as respects the series of rocks, which are 
the lonely sepulchres of the denizens of primeval oceans ! 
But, whatever the extent of the Englishman'' s acquaint- 
ance with geological science, and it may be with the 
V'poissons fossiles," I think it not improbable, that he 
and the prophet Daniel are mutual strangers, and that 
the prophet, in his frequent reference to the saints, had 
no special allusion to him ! 



11. 



*' The first Adam lost the garden and inherited the 
wilderness, the second Adam took up the battle where the 
first left off, and in the wilderness fought the foe, and 
won back paradise for man." The church has now, for 
about a century, to a great extent, lost sight of the saints' 



APPENDIX. 29 t 

inheritance, and hence she often applies promises which 
only relate to the heavenly, to the present transitory 
mortal state, and comforts herself with a false hope of 
peace — that she shall yet prosper and reign, when, and 
where she is only called upon to suffer. The traveller who 
has missed his way, and is lost upon the mountains, or in 
the wilderness, or on the trackless desert, may indeed 
have a home, but how melancholy his lot, when he knows 
not whither to turn that he may find it. Some, in this 
case, we may readily imagine have wandered long and 
finally perished, and some may have been devoured by 
wild beasts, and some, under the wild excitement, and 
overwhelmed byafearful sense of their perilous situation, 
have, it is said, been bereft of reason. Poor Christian 
traveller, who does not know where is his home ! We 
should pray for him as the prophet prayed for his servant, 
*^Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see." 
2 Kings vi. 1T< But \iwas not always so. The baseless 
notion of a heaven somewhere^ is a modern idea. The 
apostle Peter knew where the saints' inheritance was. 
The primitive Christian knew it. Chrysostom, Theodoret, 
Hieronymus, Augustine, and Luther knew it. And not 
a few in later years, examining the sacred record for 
themselves, have found what the church ought never to 
have lost sight of, viz : that Earth renewed, is the pur- 
chased possession— the saints' inheritance — the Christian's 
final and everlasting home^ — that in the *' regeneration" 
Christ's presence will consecrate it, the curse be removed, 
its sufferings, sorrows, and groanings ended, all darkness 



298 APrENDix. 

be dispelled, order take the place of cliaos^ death be de- 
stroyed, and a glory which shall never be eclipsed spread 
over all. 



III. 



After having fully given my own views in reference to 
the Jews^ return^ I met with a volume called " The Saints' 
Inheritance, or the World to come, by Hill,'' in which the 
author, though in a different form, comes to the same con- 
elusion with myself on this subject, or as he expresses it, 
''Jews as Jews rejected." So just, scriptural, evangeli- 
cal and true, are his remarks, that I cannot here other- 
wise than give a few quotations from the 18th chap, of 
his book, both in confirmation of what I myself have 
written, and if possible, to secure for his work a still 
more extensive circulation than it now has. 

He says: *' In connection with the temporal millennium 
it is also taught that the Jews, after the flesh, are to be 
restored to the land of their fathers ; that old ' Jerusa- 
lem, which is in bondage with her children,' is to be re- 
built ; that the Jews, as Jews, are yet to become a very 
conspicuous and honorable people, and certain great and 
precious promises of God's word are taken from the 
children of the kingdom, the household of faith, and are 
applied especially to the Jews. To that infidel, stiff- 
necked, rebellious race, whose fathers rejected the 
Messiah, clamoring for his life, saying, ' Let his blood be 
on us and our children,' whose sons still declare that 



APPENDIX. 299 

Christ was an impostor, and they hate him with a deadly 
hate, and would be glad to blot out his Gospel from under 
heaven. 

^' This doctrine has crept into the Christian church in 
connection with the doctrine of a coming day of peace for 
the church in this world. It is old Judaism revived, 
claiming that the promise of the inheritance is still to be 
fulfilled in the flesh, the same error which doomed their 
fathers to perdition in the days of the Saviour. It looks 
back beyond Christ to promises given to the fathers, 
exalting itself above the cross, creating an aristocracy in 
religion, claiming special favor to certain men after the 
flesh, to Jews, though they be ever so infidel." 

And again, ^^ before the coming of Christ there were 
certain promises to the Jews, the descendants of Abra- 
ham after the flesh ;" many advantages, says the apostle, 
*' chiefly because unto them were committed the oracles 
of God." Also Christ was to be a Jew according to the 
flesh. He himself said to the Samaritan woman, " Salva- 
tion is of the Jews." 

But all the special promises to them as Jews were 
fulfilled with the promised seed, and they terminated in 
Christ, who '' abolished in his flesh the enmity, even of 
the law of commandments contained in ordinances : for 
to make in himself of twain (Jews and Gentiles) one new 
man, so making peace. And that he might reconcile 
both (Jews and Gentiles) unto God in one body by the 
cross, having slain the enemity thereby." Eph. ii. 15, 16. 

Thus we see that one common and only door of salva- 
tion is opened alike to all classes without any distinction 



300 APPENDIX. 

according to the flesh ; that strangers, aliens, and foreign- 
ers are introduced into the commonwealth of Israel, and 
made ^^ fellow -citizens with the saints, and of the house- 
hold of God." 

Once more, ''to pray for the Jews, as you would for 
other sinners, and to send missionaries among them who 
would hold out to them such promises only as should be 
preached to all sinners, would be a good work, and no 
doubt acceptable to God. But to teach that ' they are 
God's ancient covenant people, the Jews,' and to pray 
for them as such, is to build up again that ' middle wall 
of partition' which Christ has broken down upon the 
cross; it is to build a ladder for them ' to climb up another 
way, into the kingdom of God.' 

" But we are told ' that God has kept them a separate 
and distinct people, that he may restore them some future 
day.' 

''We reply, that there have been as many of them con- 
verted to Christianity during the Gospel dispensation as 
of the Gentiles, in proportion to their numbers ; and when 
they have thus complied with God's righteous require- 
ments in believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, they have 
at once lost their distinctive nationality ; showing clearly 
that if they would obey God, they would be no longer a 
distinct people." 

The fact that Jews, when converted to Christianity, at 
once amalgamate with Christians, and they twain are 
made one through the cross of Christ, is full evidence 
that their infidelity has kept them a distinct people. 
They had rather be distinct and serve the devil, than to 



APPENDIX. 301 

lose their nationality and serve Christ ; as Jesus said to 
them : ''Ye are of 3''our father, the devil, and the lusts of 
your father ye will do." 

But it is said, ''that God has foretold that they would 
be a separate and distinct people. '^ Very w^ell ; is that an 
evidence that he approves it ? He has also foretold the 
most horrible wicked acts of other men. "Is that an 
evidence that he designs to show them special favors ?'' 



lY. 



It will have been observed, that I have entered into 
fewer calculations and speculations in reference to times 
yet future^ in this volume, than is usual perhaps in writ- 
ings of this nature, and fewer, too, it may be, than some 
readers may have desired. Except the general observa- 
tion that the great line of prophecy (Dan. vii.) is seemingly 
running down to its close, I have not said anything on 
this subject. If I am mistaken in this, others have been 
so before me both in ancient and modern times, in reference 
to their views of the fulfilment of prophecy, still unfulfilled 
in their day. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and 
wept, when told that he must die. But Abraham died, 
and Israel (Jacob) died, why should he weep at the 
prospect of being gathered to his fathers ? Was it not 
because he hoped to see the Messiah in his day ? He 
knew the predictions in reference to his advent, but was 
mistaken in the opinion that it was then, and so his 
26. 



302 APPENDIX. 

lamentation, in the prospect of his near dissolution was, 
*' I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of 
the living.'' And, finally, that I have risked the general 
observation referred to above, can be no cause of reproach 
with Christians, inasmuch as it only shows that I have 
followed the illustrious example of others, even of the 
prophets, of whom the apostle says, that they inquired 
and searched diligently, ** searching what, or what manner 
of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, 
when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and 
the glory that should follow. '^ 1 Pet. i. IL 



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